Safety award for jack invention gives mine team a lift

A local inventor has won a safety award after designing a safer jack for lifting heavy machinery.

The new jack, designed to lift 100 tonne loads including mining trucks, not only reduces the likelihood of injury but is cheaper to produce than existing equipment.

It was recognised with the 2008 NSW Minerals Council Safety Innovation Award.

Wayne Nealon, who works in the maintenance team at Coal & Allied's Mount Thorley Warkworth Mine, came up with his invention after recognising employees were at risk from heavy machinery falling on them with existing equipment.

"The new jack is safer, simpler, and needs less people to operate," Mr Nealon said.

The existing safety rules at most Hunter Valley mines require maintenance personnel to use a heavy machinery jack to raise trucks or other equipment, and then use a solid stand to support the load in the event the jack fails.

But the procedure means a maintenance team member has to find two areas simultaneously to place a stand and a jack, and to work under a suspended load - a potentially serious safety risk.

"We checked to see if there was currently a jack available that could be used for this task, one that did not require the operator to be under a load to position a support stand and we were surprised to find there was not one," Mr Nealon said.

"We believed a locking jack stand, designed and built for the purpose, would require relatively basic engineering and design at a cost that was comparable, and we were right, it can save more than $20,000 less than the equipment it is replacing."

Cam Halfpenny, General Manager Operations at Mount Thorley Warkworth Mine, said Mr Nealon and the team members who worked on the project deserved full credit for their efforts.

"We encourage employees and contractors at our mines to recognise potential safety hazards and areas where work can be made more efficient," Mr Halfpenny said.

"The maintenance and operations teams are working with their equipment every day, they know what works and what can be improved and this is a good example of that.

"Not only has Wayne come up with an invention that works and is safer, but to build such a high quality product at a lower price is an extra bonus."

ENDS

Media Enquiries:
Nathan Scholz
07 3361 4354 / 0417 613 174

Safety award for jack invention gives mine team a lift [PDF: 26 KB]