Four mining-sector initiatives have been recognised at the 2026 NSW Mining Health, Safety, Environment and Community Awards for their work in employee health, operational safety, biodiversity monitoring and regional healthcare.
The awards were presented during the NSW Minerals Council’s annual HSEC Conference in the Hunter Valley on 3 August.
Winners were selected across four categories: Health Excellence, Safety Excellence, Environmental Excellence and Community Excellence.
The awards are organised by the NSW Minerals Council and recognise projects undertaken by mining companies and industry partners. They represent industry awards rather than assessments or endorsements by an independent government regulator.
Aurelia Metals wins Health Excellence Award
Aurelia Metals received the Health Excellence Award for its Dustlight Personal Dust Monitoring initiative.
The project introduced lightweight wearable monitors that provide workers with real-time information about respirable dust exposure during their shifts.
The devices are worn within a worker’s breathing zone and continuously measure airborne dust levels. A traffic-light display alerts the wearer as exposure increases, allowing immediate action such as adjusting dust controls, moving away from the source or using respiratory protective equipment.
Traditional gravimetric dust monitoring remains important because it provides accurate laboratory analysis, but results are generally received after a shift has finished.
This can make it difficult for workers and occupational hygienists to identify which specific activities caused exposure peaks.
Aurelia Metals introduced Dustlight as a complementary tool rather than a replacement for conventional sampling, workplace controls or medical surveillance.
The company also compared information collected by the devices with three years of historical occupational hygiene records to identify higher-exposure activities and develop an evidence-based register of dusty tasks.
Real-time optical monitors provide indicative exposure information and should not be treated as the sole method of determining formal compliance with workplace exposure limits.
NCIG recognised for QR-based safety verification
Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group received the Safety Excellence Award for its Working in Right Places system.
The initiative uses QR-code verification to reduce the risk of workers beginning a task on the wrong equipment or under an incorrect isolation.
In complex industrial environments, maintenance work may involve multiple permits, isolation plans, lockboxes and pieces of equipment. Selecting the wrong permit or physical location can expose workers to machinery or energy sources that have not been safely isolated.
NCIG integrated QR codes into its existing Permit to Work and isolation processes.
Before commencing a task, workers scan codes associated with the permit, isolation documentation and physical equipment location. The system then confirms whether the worker is at the correct place and operating under the correct safety controls.
Verification information is also available to supervisors and area controllers through the company’s digital safety and maintenance systems.
According to NSW Minerals Council project information, no incidents involving incorrect isolations or work on the wrong equipment have been recorded since the system was introduced across the site in July 2025.
That result reflects the company’s reported performance since implementation and does not establish that the risk has been permanently eliminated.
Thermal drones support threatened-species research
GM3 won the Environmental Excellence Award for its Thermal Drones and Threatened Species Project.
Working with Symbio Wildlife Park, the University of Wollongong, Conservation Partners and government agencies, the project used night-time thermal drone surveys to study koalas and southern greater gliders across the Illawarra Escarpment.
Surveys were conducted at 47 sites covering more than 1,175 hectares.
Traditional spotlighting and ground-based surveys can be difficult in steep and densely vegetated terrain. They may also require employees to work at night in areas affected by challenging access and historical or active mining operations.
GM3 combined aerial thermal imaging, visual verification and statistical modelling to detect animals and estimate population abundance.
The project reported stable koala populations in some locations where the species had previously been considered locally absent.
NSW Minerals Council described the work as producing the first peer-reviewed, large-scale abundance estimates for koalas and southern greater gliders simultaneously using this approach.
The results may improve baseline data and help inform future conservation and land-management decisions.
However, the project’s findings should not be interpreted as demonstrating that every mining activity is compatible with biodiversity protection. Environmental impacts remain dependent on the location, scale and management of individual operations.
Mining companies recognised for regional doctor program
Glencore’s Ulan operation, Peabody’s Wilpinjong Mine and Yancoal’s Moolarben Coal Operations jointly received the Community Excellence Award for Doctors 4 Mudgee Region.
The six-year community-led initiative was established in response to a shortage of general practitioners across the Mid-Western Region.
The three mining companies provide funding, while the program operates through an independent not-for-profit community board.
Doctors 4 Mudgee Region combines financial incentives, targeted recruitment and a personalised concierge service intended to help doctors and their families relocate and settle in the area.
According to the award submission, the initiative attracted five new GPs within its first nine months.
It also supported the reopening of Gulgong Medical Centre after the community had been without a doctor at the facility for 12 months.
Mudgee Medical Centre was subsequently able to accept new patients again after its books had been closed for approximately 18 months.
The program has also secured six GP registrars in training, with the aim of developing a longer-term medical workforce pipeline rather than relying only on short-term recruitment.
The award material states that the region’s GP-to-resident ratio was more than twice the national average, although this wording appears to mean the number of residents per doctor was more than twice the national level.
For clarity, the issue is a shortage of GPs relative to the population—not an unusually high supply of doctors.
Awards highlight applied industry projects
NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee said the awards recognised projects intended to improve safety, manage environmental responsibilities and support communities connected with mining operations.
The four winning initiatives address different types of industry risk and impact.
Aurelia Metals’ project gives workers faster information about dust exposure.
NCIG’s system introduces a digital verification step before high-risk maintenance work begins.
GM3’s research uses thermal-imaging technology to improve wildlife surveys across difficult terrain.
Doctors 4 Mudgee Region directs industry funding towards a regional healthcare workforce shortage.
The awards highlight operational improvements reported by participating companies, but their longer-term effectiveness will depend on continued monitoring and whether the initiatives produce sustained outcomes beyond their initial implementation periods.
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