Mining & Infrastructure

Every structure on the shutdown list, rated before the window.

Independent condition data for conveyors, gantries, bins, CHPP structures and fixed plant, for sites without an in-house drone programme. The report rates each defect and says what to do about it and when, so the shutdown scope is built on current condition rather than the last walkdown.

Top-down aerial of a white stacker-reclaimer boom conveyor across a dark ridged coal stockpile, with rail lines at top left

Overview

Current condition, rated by criticality.

Shutdown scopes are set on structures that are slow or unsafe to reach: conveyor gantries, transfer towers, bins, CHPP steelwork, stackers and draglines, and the bridges, culverts and corridor structures that rail and utilities maintenance contractors look after. Sites without a drone programme, and no wish to build one, bring the inspection to us. We carry out the drone inspection across the Hunter, New England and the Central West, and elsewhere in NSW by arrangement, and return a report, not imagery. Each defect is tagged to an asset ID and zone, rated by criticality against a declared standard, and given a recommended action and timeframe, so the register can go into the shutdown scope as written.

Each structure is captured to a stated ground sample distance and overlap, with the flight planned around the site, the airspace and the weather. Originals are hashed and logged on the day. The imagery is then reviewed structure by structure by an engineer, and each defect is rated by severity and likelihood and mapped to the asset register. Findings are written up with a statement of areas not inspected, and prequalification details are set out on the Compliance & Prequalification page.

Led by a reliability engineer and NSW-licensed investigator.

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Uses

What sites bring to us.

Structural condition inspection

Steelwork inspected for corrosion, section loss, cracked welds, loose or missing fixings, deformation and coating failure. Rail and utilities structures are rated on the same basis.

Shutdown inspection packages

Inspection of the structures on the shutdown list, flown ahead of the window and timed with the planner so the findings feed the scope and the work packs. A post-shutdown capture closes out the repairs.

Volumetrics and pit progress

ROM pads, stockpiles, pit and dump progress measured as orthomosaics and surface models, with volumes reconciled against the previous capture or the design surface. Quarry volumetrics follow the same method.

Failure and incident investigation

After a structural failure, a dropped object or a belt incident, the scene is captured, hashed and logged before it is disturbed. The record is issued with a chain-of-custody statement, prepared for the investigation and any claim that follows.

Condition-monitoring baselines

A first full inspection of a structure or a group of assets, with every defect rated and mapped, so later inspections measure change rather than describe condition from scratch. Repeat captures are flown from the same positions.

Surge capacity

Extra inspection capacity when the shutdown calendar, a weather event or an audit finding puts more structures on the list than the site team can cover.

Deliverables

What the site receives.

Every item is written into the Engineering Condition & Evidence Report and set out in the scope before the job is quoted. For a programme across a shutdown calendar the same outputs are issued for each capture, with change reported against the baseline.

Defect register built on the site's own asset hierarchy, with elevation and zone for each finding, in a format agreed for the work order system
Annotated model of each structure, with repeat captures overlaid so change between inspections can be read directly
Shutdown scope input: findings grouped by asset and priority so they can be lifted into work packs
Volumetric reconciliation of stockpiles, ROM pads and dumps against the previous capture or the design surface
Baseline condition record for each structure, held as the reference for every later inspection
Incident scene record captured before the scene is disturbed, with the capture sequence and timing logged for the investigation
Close-out capture after repairs, with each closed item cross-referenced to the original finding

The report

Reported as an Engineering Condition & Evidence Report.

Every engagement returns the same six parts, whatever the asset. The service-specific outputs above sit inside it.

01
Capture to a stated specification
Ground sample distance, overlap and accuracy are set before the flight and recorded.
02
Defects mapped to asset IDs and zones
Every finding is located on an orthomosaic or model, not left in a folder of photos.
03
Condition or criticality rating
Rated against a declared standard: severity by likelihood.
04
Recommended action and timeframe
What to do about each rated defect, and by when.
05
Evidence annex
Hashed originals, metadata, capture log and a chain-of-custody statement.
06
Areas not inspected and limitations
Stated plainly, so the report is read for what it covers.

Rating against a declared standardIllustrative

Process

From asset list to report.

Brief

The asset list, the question each structure needs answered, the shutdown window and site access are settled with the asset or reliability manager. Portal registration and the site's inductions are completed as part of mobilisation.

Capture to specification

Flight positions are set for each structure so the same views can be repeated on later captures. The flight is flown to the stated ground sample distance and overlap, and the originals are hashed and logged before we leave site.

Interpret and rate

An engineer reviews the imagery structure by structure, tags each defect to its asset ID and zone, and gives it a severity and likelihood rating against the standard declared in the report.

Report and evidence annex

The report is issued with the defect register, the annotated model, recommended actions and timeframes, and the evidence annex. Areas not inspected are stated.

Limits

What the report is, and is not.

The report is a visual and measured condition assessment from the air. It states what was inspected, what was not, and the limit of what can be seen without contact testing. It does not certify the structure, and any engineering certification is a matter for the client's engineer.

Volumetric and pit outputs are engineering survey and mapping to a stated accuracy, and are not a cadastral or registered survey. Thermal inspection of electrical and mechanical plant is a planned capability and is not part of the current service.

Common questions

Mining & Infrastructure, answered.

Can the inspection be done while the plant is running?

In most cases, yes. The capture is flown from outside the structure, and whether plant stays in service during the inspection is settled with the site when the job is planned. Live plant is noted in the report, because some areas, such as the underside of a loaded belt, can only be seen during a stoppage.

What does a shutdown inspection cost?

Every job is quoted as a fixed price for the deliverable, or as a schedule of rates for a programme across a shutdown calendar. The quote is driven by the number and size of the structures, the level of detail required, access and mobilisation requirements, and the depth of reporting. A baseline inspection takes more to set up than the repeat captures that follow it.

How do the findings fit our asset register and work order system?

Each defect is tagged to the asset ID and zone the site already uses, so the defect register follows the site's own hierarchy. Every finding carries a criticality rating, a recommended action and a timeframe, which is the information a planner needs to raise a work order. Export formats are agreed in the scope.

What do you need before mobilising?

The asset list, the asset hierarchy or drawings where available, the shutdown window and a site contact. Contractor portal registration and site-specific inductions are completed as part of mobilisation. Licence copies, the data-handling and chain-of-custody statement and a task risk assessment for the site are provided on request. The full list is on the Compliance & Prequalification page.