Overview
In December 2022, SMS Group Services was engaged by Tianqi Lithium’s LHPP2 operations team to conduct rope access works at their Kwinana facility. The task involved reviewing and verifying boundary isolations against the archived register, a critical step in preparing for Stage 2 pre-works construction. The site was in a non-operational phase but required high safety and compliance due to residual plant risks.Scope of Work
- Supply of three IRATA-certified rope access technicians to perform inspections at height
- Selection of rope access methodology as a cost-effective alternative to scaffold erection
- Pre-mobilisation hazard and risk analysis to assess airborne contaminant risk, leading to adoption of Stage 1 PPE protocols despite Stage 2 non-operational status
- Combination of rope and elevated work platform (EWP) access to complete all isolation points
- Completion of four Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs) and four Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) audits with no corrective actions issued
Outcome
SMS successfully verified 15 boundary isolations within the scheduled timeframe, completing 20 hours of rope access work, 22 hours from an EWP, and 42 hours on task. The project was delivered with zero safety incidents and was met with intense client satisfaction. SMS’s approach demonstrated technical expertise and the ability to adapt access strategies to reduce costs and maintain safety in early-phase construction planning.The team safety and productivity performance at SMS has not gone unnoticed over the past months onsite at TLA. As mentioned at our prestart meeting, your team is performing the highest risk activities on site and have achieved nil reportable incident or injury to date. Commendable effort using a team of three to strip the quantity of scaffold so far, along with managing week to week scaffold support for maintenance tasks.
Tianqi Lithium
Troy Wilkinson
Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor