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Safety Standards & Compliance: Why Eliminating Live Work Isn’t Just Optional
November 6, 2025
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Protecting people, proving compliance and strengthening safety systems
Safety in mining has evolved far beyond policies written on paper. Companies today are expected to both follow safety standards and prove that they have applied them in practice. Regulations, audits and corporate governance frameworks are now looking deeper than checklists, focusing on how organisations design out hazards and demonstrate that every control measure is working. This is where the concept of Elimination of Live Work (ELW) moves from being “optional” to a necessity.
Understanding What Compliance Really Means on Site
Safety compliance in heavy industry has always been about reducing risk but modern frameworks demand more than administrative controls. International standards such as ISO 45001:2018 and local mining regulations, including Safe Work Australia’s Code of Practice on Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace, require companies to prioritise hazard elimination above all other measures.
These frameworks outline a clear hierarchy of controls. At the top sits elimination, or physically removing the hazard wherever possible, followed by substitution, engineering controls and finally, administrative measures and personal protective equipment. When technicians continue to perform live hydraulic work near stored energy, high-pressure systems or moving components, that exposure contradicts the most fundamental expectation of compliance which is to remove the risk entirely.
At its core, adopting ELW is about improving safety performance. However, now it is also about meeting safety standards and regulations by providing verifiable evidence during audits that the organisation is actively applying the highest level of control.
Why Traditional Maintenance Puts Compliance at Risk
Hydraulic maintenance is one of the most challenging areas for compliance. Even with strong lockout-tagout procedures, technicians often face situations where hydraulic systems must remain energised to perform testing or adjustment. This means working within the hazard zone and carrying a risk of uncontrolled energy release, equipment movement or fluid injection injury.
These exposures not only endanger people but can also place an operation at odds with its own safety management system. Every live adjustment that requires manual intervention introduces a compliance gap that is easily highlighted during external audits, incident investigations or ISO certification reviews.
The reality is that procedures alone can only go so far. For true compliance, companies need tools and systems designed to eliminate live work entirely.
How ELW Strengthens Risk Management and Audit Readiness
Risk management frameworks demand a proactive approach. Assessing risk, assigning controls and reviewing their effectiveness are ongoing responsibilities rather than one-off activities. When hydraulic maintenance still relies on live work, the residual risk remains high and the control hierarchy is not fully satisfied.
Adopting mining technology to eliminate live work allows companies to demonstrate risk reduction in quantitative terms; lowering exposure hours, reducing proximity to hazardous energy and minimising manual adjustments under pressure. Each of these metrics supports compliance reporting and audit readiness, showing that the organisation has implemented and verified engineering controls that directly eliminate risk.
This level of accountability also protects businesses beyond the operational level. It builds stronger relationships with regulators, supports ESG and sustainability reporting and reinforces a company’s social license to operate.
How HydraTune Helps Sites Meet and Exceed Safety Standards
HydraTune’s technology is designed to help sites meet and exceed these compliance expectations. SafeAdjust and FlexAdjust work together to remove live work exposure, providing engineering-level controls that eliminate risk rather than manage it. SafeAdjust enables technicians to tune hydraulic systems wirelessly from up to 100 metres away, maintaining control and precision while keeping them outside the hazard zone. FlexAdjust, a universal adapter, complements this by facilitating the same safe tuning approach in confined or obstructed areas that once required physical access.
Every adjustment session also generates real-time data and a verifiable record of activity. This creates measurable evidence of control effectiveness that can be presented during audits and compliance reviews. Sites can demonstrate that hydraulic tuning has been engineered to eliminate exposure to uncontrolled energy, supporting alignment with ISO 45001, Mine Safety and Inspection Regulations and Safe Work Australia’s risk management hierarchy.
Creating a Culture That Sustains Compliance
Compliance cannot rely on technology alone. It depends on a culture that empowers technicians to work safely, supported by tools that make those safer choices easier and more natural. When crews see how ELW simplifies maintenance and reduces exposure, they become active participants in safety rather than passive followers of rules. The shift builds confidence, consistency and ownership, turning compliance into part of the daily routine rather than a box to tick.
HydraTune helps operations move beyond minimum compliance toward genuine improvement. Every remote adjustment made through SafeAdjust or FlexAdjust represents a safer, more accountable way of working.
Connect with us to find out how your operations can eliminate live work and enhance maintenance practices with HydraTune’s solutions.