WA autonomous mining to help set world standards

Bill Marmion
Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Housing

“After leading the way in autonomous mining development, Western Australia will play a key role in setting global safety standards for this rapidly emerging technology.” Bill Marmion, Minister for Mines and Petroleum, said as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) representatives arrived in Perth to examine the proposed new WA code of practice and guidelines in late September.

“This highlights WA’s leadership in developing the mines of the future,” Mr Marmion said. “It is about exporting not just our commodities but our expertise. We already have BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and FMG using autonomous machinery – remotely controlled by people in Perth and on-site – and we are committed to seeing this technology used safely.”

The Department of Mines and Petroleum and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA will host meetings between the ISO technical committee and the local working group which developed the WA guidance. The working group comprises representatives of the regulator and autonomous system builders and operators.

The ISO technical working group held a two-day meeting to develop its international safety standards, with a focus on developing global standards for ‘mines of the future’. The ISO Technical Committee 127 develops commercial and safety standards for machines used in earth-moving, mining and general construction. The ISO standards are developed with cooperation between machine users, health and safety organisations, and manufacturers to achieve a common goal of developing machines that can be used safely.

Photo: Daniel Roley, Chair of the ISO technical committee ISO/TC 127, and Bill Marmion at BHP’s automated mining centre in Perth. Source: ABC news online