The team at BMA Broadmeadow underground mine have received high praise from the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM) and Queensland Government for their work to control worker exposure to occupational dust and diesel particulates.

General Manager, Mick Thomas, and his team recently hosted representatives from the ICMM, government, industry to Broadmeadow, where they demonstrated innovations that have received global praise for reducing dust and diesel particulate emissions.

The visit was party of a three-day workshop in Moranbah to focus on sharing best practise on dust and particulate management.

Rob McDonald, Vice President Health and Hygiene, Group HSE, said BHP and BMA representatives had played leading roles in the workshop, given our strong commitment to dust and particulate exposure reduction, as evidenced by the establishment of coal mine dust, silica and diesel exhaust exposure standards significantly lower than regulatory requirements.

Mark Holmes Manager health and safety ICMM thanked the Broadmeadow team for their insights.

“Sharing the journey the operation has been through to get to some truly impressive reduction in DPM exposures was genuinely awe inspiring. I certainly learned a lot, and it was definitely a lesson in the art of the possible in this space,” Mark said.

“What I felt was particularly inspiring was the real sense of dedication and drive for excellence driven by the value to have your workers come home healthy and safe every day. The work done at Broadmeadow is world class and provides an example to the rest of the industry on what can be achieved”.

Kate Du Preez, Commissioner for Mine Safety and Health, Queensland Government, also praised the Broadmeadow team for their passion and “floor-up solution” approach to control dust and particulate emissions, and for engaging smaller vendors to provide solutions.

Andrew Batterson, Specialist Hygiene, and Toby Everson, Superintendent Maintenance, presented on Broadmeadow’s diesel exposure reduction program and the management of diesel exhaust as a material risk using the critical control framework.