New Alcoa mining hub aims to “eliminate” safety risks rather then prevent them

A South West Alcoa mining hub has been named a finalist in a Statewide safety competition for “eliminating rather than preventing” safety risks across its site. The Willowdale bauxite mine is now based in the Larego region — just 20km north-east of Harvey — having moved after a 20-year stint in the Orion area, near Nanga Brook. The new hub was designed to entirely eliminate critical safety risks around uncontrolled pedestrian and light and heavy mobile mining equipment interactions. A finalist in WA’s 2022 Work Health and Safety Excellence Awards, acting WA manager of mines Trever Stockil said it was the move to Orion that afforded the company the rare opportunity to entirely eliminate critical safety risks. “To eliminate these known risks, Alcoa challenged normal practice and re-thought its approach,” he said. In a marked step away from “usual practice”, a pedestrian tunnel and dedicated walkway system separate people from light and heavy vehicles around the site. This, according to Alcoa, removes the capacity for human error and eliminates the risk of serious or fatal injuries. Mr Stockil said historically, preventative controls such as zebra crossings, traffic lights and stop signs were used to manage interactions. “These rely on human decision making, and the possibility of human error remains very real,” he said. The awards are run by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, and winners will be announced on October 28.