WHS INNOVATION · MINING · EXOSKELETONS
MINING
SAFETY
INNOVATION
THE ROLE OF WEARABLE EXOSUITS
Australia's mining workforce faces an epidemic of musculoskeletal injury. Passive exoskeletons are changing the equation — proven in the world's toughest operations, and now available through SpanSet.
19th May 2026 · 8 min read
1 in 3
serious workers' compensation claims are body stressing injuries
$450B
in mining export revenue — and the workforce behind it needs protection
44%
reduction in shoulder muscle load with the Auxivo DeltaSuit
7.4 wks
median time off work per serious musculoskeletal claim
THE PROBLEM
The Musculoskeletal Injury Crisis in Australian Mining
Australia's mining industry is the backbone of the national economy — generating over $450 billion in export revenue and employing hundreds of thousands of workers across some of the most physically demanding environments on earth: the open-cut iron ore sites of the Pilbara, underground stopes in the Hunter Valley, and haul truck maintenance bays operating in 40-degree heat.
According to Safe Work Australia, body stressing — overexertion, repetitive movement, and sustained awkward postures — is the leading cause of serious workers' compensation claims across all Australian industries, accounting for nearly one in three serious claims. In mining specifically, workers face a combination of heavy lifting, overhead work, prolonged crouching, and vibration exposure that makes musculoskeletal injury not just common, but almost an occupational inevitability over a long career.
Engineering controls and manual handling training have improved outcomes over the decades. But you cannot redesign a confined underground drive, an ore pass, or the underside of a 300-tonne haul truck. When the environment itself is the hazard, the traditional hierarchy of controls reaches its limit. This is precisely the gap that passive wearable exoskeletons are designed to fill — by reducing the load the body must bear rather than changing the environment it must work in.
The question WHS managers and safety leaders across the sector are increasingly asking is: what else can we do? The answer, increasingly supported by global evidence, is passive exoskeleton technology — and it is available in Australia, exclusively through SpanSet.
HOW THE TECHNOLOGY WORKS
WHAT IS A PASSIVE EXOSKELETON?
No batteries. No software. No calibration.
Unlike powered robotic suits that rely on motors, batteries, and complex electronics, passive exoskeletons work through mechanical systems — springs, carbon fibre frames, and elastic bands. They store energy during one phase of movement and release it during the phase of greatest effort, effectively sharing the physical load between the device and the worker's body. No charging. No downtime. No specialist required.
No Charging or Downtime
Passive mechanical systems — springs, carbon fibre, elastic bands — require no power source. Workers complete full 12-hour FIFO shifts without interruption. No batteries means no charging cycles and no dependency on site power infrastructure.
Ready in Under 5 Minutes
Worn like a harness or vest, over or under standard PPE including hi-vis. Workers are up and running within minutes — no specialist required for fitting or maintenance. First-time users are productive from day one.
Intrinsically Safe Underground
No electronics or batteries means passive exoskeletons carry no ignition risk — suitable for underground mining environments and classified hazardous areas without additional intrinsic safety certification. Compatible with existing PPE requirements.
Award-Validated in Global Mining
Deployed across Glencore, Codelco, BHP, SQM, and Albemarle operations globally. The Lomas Bayas deployment earned Glencore's 2023 Annual Regional HSE Award — a concrete, independently recognised reference point for Australian operators.
EXCLUSIVE TO SPANSET AUSTRALIA
THE AUXIVO EXOSKELETON RANGE AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA
Three purpose-built passive exoskeletons targeting the specific physical demands of mining, construction, and industrial work. Each is available exclusively through SpanSet Australia with full local support, training, and site assessment. Developed at ETH Zurich; field-proven in global mining operations.
LIFTSUIT
BACK & LOWER BODY SUPPORT
Supports the lower back, hips, and hamstrings during lifting, bending, and forward-leaning tasks. Under 0.9 kg — light enough for a full 12-hour FIFO shift. Ideal for equipment maintenance, ore sample collection, and pipe fitting.
33%
reduction in back muscle activity during forward-leaning tasks
DELTASUIT
SHOULDER & ARM SUPPORT
Designed for overhead and at-shoulder-height tasks: underground drilling, bolt installation in headings, elevated equipment maintenance, roof inspection. Supports arm weight and reduces the rotator cuff fatigue that accumulates during sustained overhead work.
44%
reduction in shoulder muscle load — longer endurance, fewer injuries
OMNISUIT
FULL UPPER BODY SUPPORT
For workers who move between tasks requiring both back and shoulder support — a common reality in mining maintenance roles. The OmniSuit provides combined protection in a single garment, designed for versatility across varied physical demands throughout a shift.
1
garment — full upper-body protection across all task types
CARRYSUIT
UPPER BODY & CARRYING SUPPORT
The CarrySuit's rigid frame spans hip to shoulder, creating an alternative load path that transfers the weight of heavy carried loads directly to the hips — bypassing the wrists, elbows, shoulders, and spine. Fully passive, no batteries, ready in minutes.
60%
reduction in shoulder and arm muscle activity during carrying and holding tasks
GLOBAL PROOF OF CONCEPT
REAL-WORLD RESULTS:
GLENCORE LOMAS BAYAS MINING CASE STUDY
GLENCORE 2023 ANNUAL REGIONAL HSE AWARD WINNER
The Lomas Bayas open-cut copper mine in Chile's Atacama region — operated by Glencore — provides Australian mining with the most directly relevant international benchmark for exoskeleton adoption. The physical demands are a near-exact mirror of Australian operations: geological sampling, blast hole work, and laboratory sampling tasks present on virtually every significant mine site in the Pilbara, Bowen Basin, and WA goldfields.
Auxivo exoskeletons were introduced into the geological sampling area — a role involving sustained forward-leaning posture, repetitive manual drill core collection, and data capture across long shifts in exposed terrain. The results were significant enough to earn the operation Glencore's regional HSE award and drive expansion of the programme into additional teams.
- Programme extended from geology sampling to blast hole and chemical laboratory sampling teams — results were real, repeatable, and valued by workers
- Technology deployed across operations run by Codelco, BHP, SQM, and Albemarle throughout Latin America
- Positive worker feedback — adoption driven from the floor, not just mandated from above
- Task profiles identical to Australian sites: sampling, repetitive forward lean, long-shift exposure in remote conditions
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR AUSTRALIAN MINING
Geological sampling, blast hole sampling, and laboratory sampling are present on virtually every significant Australian mine site — from the Pilbara iron ore operations to the Bowen Basin coal fields to the WA goldfields. The postural and repetitive strain profile — sustained forward lean, repetitive manual collection, extended shift exposure — is identical to what the Lomas Bayas programme was designed to address. The Chilean mining environment is an operationally direct analogue of Australian conditions.
WHY NOW
WHY AUSTRALIAN MINING
SHOULD ADOPT EXOSKELETONS NOW
Several forces are converging to make this the right moment for Australian mining operations to consider exoskeleton adoption. The technology is proven. The evidence base is global. The regulatory expectation is rising. And the cost of not acting is measurable.
01
An Ageing Mining Workforce
The average age of mine workers is rising across Australia. Older workers carry greater accumulated musculoskeletal risk — a career's worth of repeated physical exposure that compounds with each additional year. Passive exoskeletons extend productive working life by reducing the per-shift load that drives long-term injury, protecting your most experienced people and reducing the expensive knowledge loss that follows early career endings.
02
FIFO Roster Intensity
Fly-in fly-out work concentrates physical exposure into dense working blocks — often 12-hour shifts across 14-day rotations — with limited recovery time between rotations. Unlike a Monday-to-Friday worker who recovers across weekends, FIFO workers accumulate injury risk in concentrated bursts with insufficient physiological recovery. Reducing per-shift physical load directly reduces cumulative injury risk across the entire roster cycle, not just the individual shift.
03
WHS Duty of Care Obligations
Australian WHS legislation requires employers to eliminate or minimise risks so far as is reasonably practicable. As passive exoskeleton technology becomes more widely proven across global mining operations comparable to Australian sites, it increasingly forms part of what a court or safety regulator would consider a reasonably practicable control measure. Employers who fail to adopt proven, available, and cost-effective controls face growing regulatory and legal exposure.
04
Total Cost of Musculoskeletal Injury
Safe Work Australia data shows serious musculoskeletal claims result in a median of 7.4 weeks off work and an average compensation payout of approximately $15,900 per claim — and that is before lost productivity, replacement labour costs, and rehabilitation expenses are factored in. Against these figures, the ROI case for preventive exoskeleton technology is compelling, particularly across a large workforce with high MSI exposure.
Find Out How Auxivo Exoskeletons
Can Work on Your Site
SpanSet Australia works with WHS teams and HSE managers to identify the right Auxivo products for your workforce and task profile. Request a no-obligation site assessment. Structured pilot programmes available for qualifying operations across all Australian mining regions.
SPANSET.COM.AU · EMU PLAINS, NSW