MMG Dugald River (MMG) is in the process of transitioning its underground mining operations from the current operating contractor, to commence owner-operator production activities from January 2023.
To assist in this transition, Sustainability’s onsite Technical Writer, Marty Karow, is developing technical and process documentation in preparation for this important milestone for MMG.
Technical Writer Marty has been assisting MMG with documentation development since 2018, where he initially developed Processing Work Instruction Assessments, and utilised his vast training and development knowledge and expertise to develop a suite of 10 Training Manuals mapped to the nationally accredited Certificate III in Resource Processing. The Processing Crews are currently undergoing this training to achieve their national qualification.
During 2020 Marty was re-deployed to a Project in WA and returned to MMG Dugald River in 2021 to commence a new Technical Writing Project focusing upon the development of Maintenance (Mechanical and Electrical) Work Instructions, Mobile Plant Work Instructions, Prestart Checklists, and Verification of Competencies.
More recently, Marty has been re-tasked to develop Work Instructions for Underground Mining Operations as MMG enters a transition phase to owner-operator of the production activities at Dugald River Mine. Developing Work Instructions for underground operations is a new experience for Marty, however he has proven to be able to quickly adapt and deliver those initial documents to the highest quality.
Marty says that he is highly motivated at Dugald River because it is a great mine site with great people, and he has established himself as an effective member of the Dugald River Mine community. In his position at Dugald River he has assisted every major Department in developing and delivering hundreds of documents. He loves the ability to be able to get out and about, meet people, learn, and then develop robust, and safety focused, operational documents to assist those at Dugald River in their day-to-day work.
Marty adds that he is only a piece in the puzzle, as it’s the Subject Matter Experts at Dugald River who really deserve the accolades. Everyone he has spoken with about documentation development has been extremely informative and supportive. Marty says, “as far as documentation development is concerned, we are all on the same page, and that is to do our jobs effectively and efficiently, but more importantly, to be able to return home at the end of the Swing happy and healthy”.
MMG Dugald River Mine is one of the world’s top 10 zinc operations, producing zinc concentrate, with by-products including lead and silver. The ore is mined underground using diamond drilling techniques, after which it is extracted to the surface and treated on-site. The concentrate is transported to the Port of Townsville, Queensland, Australia.