Presented by Natural Resources Mines and Water Minister Henry Palaszczuk, awards were handed to Blackwater for its Dynamic Brake Testing Package and Norwich Park for its Risk Elimination Training Aid. A commended award went to Thiess for its Tyre Handler Protection Arms.

The awards were presented in front of more than 500 people at the annual Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety conference in Townsville.

The judging was compered by ABC Television’s James O’Loghlin, host of The New Inventors.

The conference, which this year has attracted a record 530 delegates, will continue today with speakers including Anam Parand of the University of Exeter Cornwall (United Kingdom), who will discuss his research on behavioural-based safety in the minerals industry.

Other topics include flexible workplace practices; age-related injury risk; nutrition and lifestyle; and drug and alcohol policies.