Words by Megan Breen
This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue of create with the headline “At arm’s length”.
In a country the size of a continent, “remote” is a familiar word. These days, remote also describes the array of new technologies that promise to improve safety and productivity – and make the tyranny of distance no impediment to getting the job done.
The oil and gas industry uses remote operated vehicles (ROVs) for deep-sea tasks and automated well monitoring systems for real-time performance tracking. Construction benefits from building information modelling (BIM) and remote management tools such as drones. In the energy sector, smart grids and wind turbine sensors enable remote monitoring and optimisation.
Engineers Australia Acting Chief Engineer Bernadette Foley FIEAust CPEng EngExec told create there have been significant improvements in both safety and productivity in all industries that have embraced remote technology for operation and monitoring from a distance.
The use of technology has changed how engineers and associates approach their work, shifting from hands-on tasks in hazardous environments to remote oversight. This transition not only enhances operational efficiency, but also significantly reduces exposure to risks such as heavy machinery accidents and extreme conditions.
“Automation has been a game-changer in improving safety for engineers,” Foley said. “Tasks that once involved significant risk, such as handling hazardous materials or performing high-risk maintenance, are now safer thanks to the use of remote systems.
“This has led to a cultural shift within the industry, where safety is increasingly built into the design and operation of engineering systems.”
In the demanding environment of the Pilbara, Rio Tinto’s mining operations are heavily reliant on advanced technology to maintain efficiency and safety. The company’s Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Perth, located 1500 km from the mining site, plays a crucial role in this setup.
Mining industry director and consultant Greg Lilleyman said the current ROC used by Rio Tinto is a far cry from its first iteration, which was basically a desk and a computer in a room in London House, Perth. The technology has come a long way and is now embedded in mining operations around the globe, he said.
“We pioneered the first remote operations centre to see how easily we could control and run the processing plant at the West Angelas mine in the Pilbara from a desk in Perth,” he said.
“When that was successful, we then introduced the modular mining dispatch system and ran the pit control as well from the scaled-up location at Wesfarmers House.”
Today, the ROC leverages artificial intelligence and real-time data analytics to manage operations, predict equipment failures and optimise performance. It oversees rail systems, infrastructure and port operations, making it a central element of Rio Tinto’s operational strategy.
The company’s early adoption of remote operations began with the introduction of fully autonomous haul trucks in 2008. This approach has since become standard in the industry, with companies such as BHP implementing similar systems in 2013 to manage their Pilbara operations remotely. The success of these ROCs has driven a wider adoption of remote management technologies across the global mining industry.
While there are some personnel onsite for tasks that require human intervention, such as maintenance, inspections and emergency response, the remote management system has greatly minimised the need for a large onsite workforce. This has not only improved safety and productivity, but also attracts candidates who value not having to relocate from Perth.
“While it’s possible to handle diagnostics onsite, it’s often challenging to attract skilled professionals to remote mine sites,” Lilleyman said. “Remote operations centres in major cities like Perth allow these experts to contribute to value-added work without needing to relocate.
“For example, a haul truck is equipped with hundreds of sensors around its engine and components. When a sensor triggers a warning, the truck’s system only provides basic alerts: an orange light for a minor fault and a red light for a severe issue – essentially a ‘check engine’ or ‘stop engine’ signal,” he said.
“At a remote operations centre, a specialist engineer can analyse detailed data from these sensors. If a sensor indicates that cylinder number five is running cooler than the others, the engineer might diagnose a potential problem, such as a glow plug failure or an injector fault.
“They can then offer precise advice to the onsite tradespeople, helping them address the issue more effectively.”
For the mining and offshore energy industries, the biggest benefit in terms of productivity for engineers is the reduction in travel time, Foley said.
“You no longer need to travel to a remote area to manage a mining or energy asset. Similarly, remote sensing technologies and UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] inspection can provide huge productivity boosts, while increasing safety through reduced need to work in hazardous environments or at heights.”
Professor Robin Burgess-Limerick from the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre (MISHC), University of Queensland, said there is clear evidence that removing people from hazardous mining environments through remote operations technology has major safety benefits.
“Autonomous haulage systems, which track the position of every vehicle and incorporate extensive safety measures, aim to prevent collisions – and notably to date there have been no significant incidents involving autonomous haul trucks and other non-autonomous vehicles,” he said.
Research undertaken by MISHC shows the total number of autonomous haul trucks in operation globally in 2022 was 1070 (an annual increase of 39 per cent), of which 706 were operated in Australia; and the number of autonomous trucks in operation globally is forecast to exceed 1800 by the end of 2025.
“In some metal mines, semi-autonomous loaders are used, which significantly improves safety by reducing exposure to dust, vibration, noise and musculoskeletal disorders. Previously, workers operating these loaders faced severe risks – such as being thrown forward if the bucket struck a rib – so removing people from those loaders is definitely beneficial. Those are horrible jobs from a health and safety point of view.”
In underground mining, different hazards are being addressed, such as automating longwall shearers, which use rotating drums equipped with sharp, heavy-duty bits to shear the coal from the face of the wall.
“In underground coal mining, there is also progress in automating longwall shearers, which reduces the number of workers needed on the longwall faces,” Burgess-Limerick said. “Although complete removal of personnel from these operations is still a way off, automation is making substantial strides in enhancing safety.”
Rio Tinto has also reported the technology used in the ROCs has significantly contributed to improved safety outcomes across its operations. The company’s 2023 annual report highlighted a reduction in the all-injury frequency rate from 0.40 in 2022 to 0.37 in 2023, partly attributed to innovations such as ROCs.
The adoption of ROVs in subsea operations has also improved safety conditions and decreased the need for divers to work in hazardous conditions such as high-pressure environments and low-visibility areas.
As a result, the incidence of accidents and fatalities involving human divers has declined. Reports from the International Marine Contractors Association have documented trends showing fewer fatalities and serious injuries, attributing this decrease in part to the broader adoption of ROV technology.
For example, the lost time injury frequency rate dropped between 2006-20 from one per 100 million hours worked to 0.38, and the fatal accident rate dropped from 2.72 to 0.31 in the same period.
According to a spokesperson from Italian cable maker and installation services provider Prysmian, which recently signed a $647 million contract to supply and install a new interconnector between Victoria and Tasmania, the use of ROVs in their operations has increased safety primarily because it means divers are used less often.
“One of the aspects we always consider when planning our installation activities is to minimise the use of divers, and by doing so we have drastically reduced one of the most risky factors of a subsea cable installation,” they said.
“Today, the vast majority of activities are executed through ROVs, still operated by technicians but from safe locations inside the installation vessel. Cable pulling, trenching and landings are all done by machines, and that has increased the safety level of human operators.”
Alongside the improvements to safety, advanced remote operations technology has a huge impact on productivity, said Professor Farid Boussaid of the University of Western Australia.
“We can now automatically identify issues in a mine or a plant and make decisions without being there. You can change your maintenance schedule, improve operational efficiency and, with drones, monitor offshore
platforms and get first-hand data,” he said.
“The amount of data is enormous – but you also need a more diverse, skilled workforce to be able to use that data. We need engineers who can operate algorithms to process and interpret data effectively so they can focus on more complex and interesting work that artificial intelligence cannot manage.”
Engineers Australia is proactively addressing this by offering targeted professional development and ensuring that educational outcomes prepare the next generation of engineers for these challenges, Foley said.
“As automation and remote operation technologies continue to evolve, engineers must adapt by acquiring new skills. Knowledge in data analytics, cybersecurity and programming is becoming essential,” she said.
Another key technology enabling remote work is the digital twin, which involves creating a replica of a plant or mine to allow companies to simulate and predict system behaviour under various conditions, Boussaid said.
“It provides powerful insights for managing and improving operations, and it is something that companies have been developing because if they can put the real-time data in a model of a mine, then they can predict what’s going to happen before it happens.”
Burgess-Limerick argues that advancements in technology bring several new challenges, including the removal of people from direct observation of operations. This shift creates difficulties in maintaining situational awareness in control rooms.
“We should be cautious of overtrust in automation,” he said. “For example, while autonomous vehicles have safety features, they cannot always overcome the laws of physics, such as stopping quickly on a wet ramp.
“Additionally, systems must account for human cognitive workload to avoid overloading control room operators.”
It’s a concept that resonates with Lilleyman, who argues it is important to integrate technology in a way that genuinely enhances productivity and safety, rather than adopting it for its own sake.
“As an engineer, I might not fully grasp all the underlying technology, but I do understand its potential and how it should be integrated with its impact on people. When we began automating our haul fleet at Rio Tinto, it was a daunting transition for all the truck drivers involved.
“I had extensive discussions with the technology teams, emphasising that this was a people-focused project, not just a technology initiative.”
It’s vital humans and machines work together. “Automation offers significant benefits, but it is essential to consider human capabilities and limitations in its design and implementation.”