Call for Presentations

Key Dates

Download Guidelines

Submissions Open

Call for Presentations

The MESC Qld Committee welcomes submissions for presentations in the format of a technical presentation or Innovation Award presentation.

It is important that presentations are NOT a ‘sales pitch’ or a way of promoting an organisation’s product or service – the presentation needs to provide information that is relevant and educational for the audience and showcases mine electrical workplace safety.

Themes

• Cable Management
• Corporate Knowledge
• Earth Leakage Relay Monitoring
• Electrical Remote Fault Finding
• Hazardous Area
• NER Monitoring
• Succession Planning

Scroll below to view more information on the conference themes.

MESC Innovation Award

The Mine Electrical Safety Conference Innovation Award is a way to recognise the innovative ideas that flourish from people within the electrical sector of the mining industry. The award is the committee’s way of promoting the innovations that exists in the electrical stream of the mining industry to allow the learnings to be shared with industry that reduce harm to our workers and equipment.

Presentations submitting for the Innovation Award will need to provide information on how the innovation has reduced the harm that led to the innovation and to explain why the submission should be considered.

Past Winners Include:

• 2025: Game Changing Drone Powerline Stringing - An Australian Mining Industry First; Yurika
• 2024: Ampcontrol Electric Vehicle – DRIFTEX;  Ampcontrol
• 2022: Lighting as a Conduit for Technological Disruption; Coolon LED Lighting
• 2021: AIR2VOLTS - Compressed Air Powered, Intrinsically Safe, Uninterruptible Power Supplies For Underground Mine Monitoring and Communications; Cool Mine
• 2019: Moranbah North Mine: Variable Speed Drive AFC; Ampcontrol

Conference Programme Themes

Cable Management

Cable management is fundamental to the safety and reliability of mine electrical systems. Effective cable management encompasses correct routing, segregation, support, protection, identification, and ongoing condition monitoring. In mining environments, where mechanical damage, environmental exposure, and operational change are ever present risks, robust cable management practices prevent dangerous incidents and operational impacts. Presentations could explore practical strategies, emerging technologies, and lessons learned to ensure cable systems remain safe, compliant, and fit-for-purpose throughout the asset lifecycle, from installation through to inspection, maintenance, and eventual replacement.

Corporate Knowledge – Preserving critical expertise in mine electrical systems

Mining operations rely heavily on accumulated corporate knowledge – practical insights, historical context, and lessons learned that are rarely fully captured in formal documentation. As experienced personnel retire or move on, this knowledge can be lost, increasing operational risk and reducing the organisation’s ability to anticipate and prevent electrical incidents. This theme explores strategies to capture, retain, and operationalise corporate knowledge, including digital records, standardised practices, and modern asset intelligence tools. Preserving this expertise strengthens safety, improves decision-making, and ensures continuity in managing complex electrical systems.

Earth Leakage Relay Monitoring

Earth Leakage Relays (ELRs) and their associated protection systems are critical safeguards in mine electrical networks. These devices are designed to detect earth fault currents at levels below those required to operate overcurrent protection, providing an essential layer of protection for personnel and equipment.

Incorrect settings, poor coordination with upstream and downstream protection devices, configuration errors, component defects, or external influences such as moisture ingress, cable degradation, harmonics from VSDs, and accumulated system leakage can all compromise protection performance. If not correctly engineered and maintained, ELR systems may either fail to operate when required or operate unnecessarily.

Electrical Remote Fault Finding

With the growing skills shortage across the industry, innovative approaches are essential to support the detection and rectification of faults remotely.

Electrical remote fault finding refers to the process of detecting, locating, and in certain cases, repairing faults in electrical systems from a distance rather than an on-site visit. This approach leverages specialised diagnostic tools and communication technologies that measure system parameters, transmit data, and enable control actions remotely. Such methods significantly reduce the need for manual inspections and decrease system downtime. What methods have been adopted with proven results that could be shared? 

Hazardous Area

As emerging technologies are introduced into underground coal mines and other hazardous area locations, Ex-certified equipment is becoming increasingly complex. For example, the introduction of EVs has reduced diesel particulate emissions and vehicle maintenance costs and time, but new challenges in battery management remain. How does a mine owner manage a battery fire or charge the battery?

How is the new equipment managed at your site, and what considerations are factored into the equipment or plant life cycle?  There are abandoned mines that have buried equipment. On another note, mines are utilising fibre-optic and lidar technologies to enable early detection of gas or roof movement.  Use of these technologies and applications improves mine management and safe production and lowers operational costs.

NER Monitoring

Neutral Earth Resistors (NERs) and their associated monitoring systems are critical safeguards in many mine electrical networks. Incorrect settings or configurations, defects and sudden failures, and external influences on these systems can compromise protection schemes, increasing the risk of harm to personnel.  In addition, nuisance trips from these systems can present other hazards to personnel and significant operational impacts.  Presentations could include case studies on recent incidents or learnings, or exploration of best practice and innovations in this area.

Succession Planning

Succession planning is the strategic process of identifying and developing future leaders within an organisation to ensure a smooth transition when key positions become vacant. Far from a one-time event, it is an ongoing commitment to maintaining business continuity and preserving organisational knowledge.  What programs does your organisation offer?  Preventing the loss of corporate knowledge and planning early are critical to identifying the successor.  Many companies fail to plan to mitigate the risk of knowledge drain.