Workforce management
Global pandemic highlights the importance of a safe workforce INDUSTRY EXPERTS EXPLORE THE RISE OF AUTOMATION AND ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY TO SECURE A STEADY WORKFORCE DESPITE BORDER CLOSURES AND LOCKDOWNS.
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he global COVID-19 pandemic is forcing industries across the world to rethink the way they operate to increase the safety of workforces while minimising any reduction in productivity. With its recent focus on automation and the safety benefits of a remote workforce, the resources industry is well placed to adapt to these changes with minimal disruption to the sector’s efficiency. Automation in the mining industry has been going from strength-to-strength. In July, Fortescue Metals Group hit a new record in mining safety standards with its autonomous haul (AHS) fleet reaching the milestone of two billion tonnes of material moved. The record tonnage doubles the amount of ore hauled by Fortescue’s autonomous fleet since September 2019. However, as technology advances and more tasks are completed by autonomous machinery, concerns have been raised over the future of the industry’s traditional labour solutions. The closure of international borders has cut off the supply of skilled migrant workers, while interstate restrictions and lockdowns have limited the movement of the Australian labour force. This environment has forced mining companies to diversify the way they operate at a time when the
COVID-19 has disrupted FIFO mining schedules.
industry is seeing record prices and increased demand for commodities. According to findings from the World Economic Forum’s The Future of Jobs Report 2020, automation, in tandem with the COVID-19 recession, is creating a ‘double-disruption’ scenario for workers. “In addition to the current disruption from the pandemic-induced lockdowns and economic contraction, technological adoption by companies will transform tasks, jobs and skills by 2025,” the report states. “By 2025, the time spent on current tasks at work by humans and machines will be equal. A significant share of companies also expect to make changes to locations, their value chains, and the size of their workforce
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due to factors beyond technology in the next five years.” Accenture head of resources David Burns says COVID-19 is pushing companies to take digital transformation further by devising new ways to gain efficiencies at a time when fewer workers can be on site. “The majority of on-site roles in the mining sector are typically mechanical in nature, relying on maintenance workers, machine operators and engineers handling heavy mining machinery and vehicles,” Burns says. “The WEF 2020 jobs report found that 67 per cent of repetitive and manual tasks, such as information and data processing, and about 60 per cent of tasks involving physical
