Eastern Region Awards

In August, the 2021/22 GM Awards for M&IS Eastern Region were announced, in recognition of the commitment of our people and teams to safety, innovation and proactively finding solutions to improve our performance. 

Congratulations to all the deserving winners outlined below for your ongoing efforts. 

The Eastern Region Projects were awarded Most Improved Safety Performance, finishing the 2021/22 financial year recordable free. This was a significant improvement on the previous year where there were three recordable events.  

Best Overall Safety Performance went to the Monadelphous Worley Joint Venture (MWJV) team in Papua New Guinea for the second year running.  The team continued to maintain a 12-month recordable free period, bringing them to 36 months recordable free.  

For the fourth consecutive year, Gladstone Operations has taken out the award for Most Innovative Operation. The Gladstone team continues to be highly focused on implementing new ideas and encouraging innovation.  

This year, we also celebrated the innovative approach taken by our team on the 2022 IPL Mt Isa turnaround to develop the “The Armadillo”, earning them the accolades for Best Innovation. You would’ve read about the Armadillo in the last edition of In the Loop. The team devised an overhead protection frame to enable safe completion of the Tails Gas Stack clean out project during the turnaround. The frame and platform provided an innovative solution to what would have otherwise been a very challenging job.   

Innovation Award – August  

There was also one Innovation Award winner in August – congratulations to Mark Vacher and Rachael Aston who were behind the Vee Roller Head Attachment innovation on-site at Yarwun.  

The team implemented a simple solution to manoeuvring long lengths of pipe over pipe stands.  

Pipe stands are commonly used to safely support pipe while fitting and welding pipe components. While working on long lengths, each stand must be accurately aligned to maintain the stability of the pipe. At times, fitting and welding components can require excessive manual handling, and the impact can result in muscle strains, pinch points and asset damage. 

The team sourced a Ball Transfer Head attachment from Aitken Welding Supplies, which allows the user to accurately and safely move and adjust lengths of pipe for welding. The ball transfer attachments slide over the standard vee head and the spheres provide maximum manoeuvrability regardless of whether the stand is perfectly square to its counterpoint. 

This means that welders exert minimal force to fit pipe attachments, significantly reducing hazards and manual handling. 

Innovation ideas are always welcome. If you have a bright idea, please talk to your Supervisor or contact our Innovation Team – Jimmy Dickerson or Brendan Sayers.