OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
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T he inaugural Australian Mining Leaders Conference took place in London this summer where organisers The AusIMM ( The Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy ) provided a platform to some of the leading minds in mining across the region . Among them AusIMM President Janine Herzig , PT Merdeka Copper Gold CEO Colin Moorhead and Austmine Director Mark Read spoke to Mining Global about the potential for growth in Australia ’ s mining sector .
It ’ s long been considered a challenge for the industry to change its perception as a dark , dirty and dangerous endeavour . Herzig explains technology and innovation lie at the heart of Australia ’ s mining sector . “ There ’ s been a huge transition from work which often involved uranium , asbestos , and other dangerous materials , combined with a lot of manual lifting and exposure to toxic chemicals such as hydrofluoride and cyanogen bromide ,” she says . “ However , all of that has changed and we ’ ve now got robotic sample prep , infusions by XRF , and much better standards when it comes to minimising lifting and twisting in the lab . We also see that translating to the mine site with driverless trucks , and the technologies around confined space access . Another key
OCTOBER 2019