Dragline Walkways, Guarding & Access.

Dragline walkways, guarding and access systems provide safe movement around the machine for operation, inspection and maintenance. They must withstand vibration, weather and heavy industrial use while maintaining secure access to critical equipment and preventing personnel contact with moving components and fall hazards.

MEA has supported BMA mine sites for more than 25 years through the design, fabrication, assembly and site installation of dragline walkways, machine guarding, access platforms and emergency egress systems. This includes complete guarding packages for drag, hoist, swing and propel systems, together with walkways and platforms for dragline booms, fairleads, fan houses, swing decks, machinery access areas and external house access.

Each project is supported by MEA's in-house design and drafting capability, including detailed site measuring, 3D scanning, reverse engineering and 3D modelling, which allows new structures to be accurately designed around existing dragline geometry, interfaces and operating clearances while improving maintainability, accessibility and personnel safety.

Fabrication is completed to suit the demanding conditions of open-cut mining, with close control of fit-up, welding quality, dimensional accuracy and final assembly. Completed structures are abrasive blasted and coated using high-build industrial paint systems selected for durability in harsh, corrosive environments, and MEA can also undertake trial assembly and pre-fit checks prior to delivery to reduce installation time and minimise site disruption.

In recent years, MEA has also designed and manufactured aluminium emergency egress doors for dragline operator cabins. These pull-out doors provide a rapid emergency escape route and are designed for single-use activation before reassembly. Following successful implementation, the system has been adopted across BMA mine sites throughout the Bowen Basin.