Called the Stormsafe, the shelters are Minearc’s latest venture into above ground refuge solutions for industry.

Atlas Iron wanted to provide on site storm shelters at its largest facilities at cyclone-prone Port Hedland.

Minearc engineer Daragh Quinn said the Stormsafe chambers were designed to comply with the Australian Building Code’s ‘Region D Rating’ for tropical cyclones as well as the Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NZS1170.2 with a Building Code of Australia Importance Level of 4.

“Each chamber is large enough to house 72 people safely during extreme weather, eliminating the requirement for Atlas Iron to send staff to Perth during an emergency and allowing them to continue producing and processing as normal all the way up to a ‘blue’ alert,” he said.

The chambers were designed as four-piece modular units that bolt together to provide roughly 105sq.m of internal space.

They can be easily disassembled and relocated as required.

Being modular the Stormsafe can be customised to meet client specifications, particularly in regards to size, occupancy and internal features.

The shelters built for Atlas Iron offer bedding for up to 54 people, ample seating, a kitchenette and dual toilet facilities.

Atlas Iron capital works manager Trevor Beattie said the design of the Stormsafe product evolved during construction to meet the conflicting requirements of two separate end user locations.

“The Stormsafe shelter met all the technical criteria and the internal fit out provides total flexibility for seating arrangements within the two centre modules,” Beattie said.