Whyalla workers do their Block … with a big clean-up

Working environment improvements at Aussie site

21 July 2023

An army of SIMEC Mining and LIBERTY Primary Steel workers sprang into action recently to kick off some working environment improvements in Whyalla.

In the lead up to internal repairs and improvements to the administration blocks at the Whyalla steelworks, more than 70 workers came together to conduct a massive clean-up. The team swept through Blocks 2 to 7 with military precision to get the essential clean-up done within a day.

Nearly six skip bins were filled with general waste while, in the spirit of sustainability and recycling, nearly five skip bins were filled with cardboard and paper with five marrel bins loaded up with timber and steel. A stack of usable furniture was distributed around the site for repurposing with another load sent off to the local Bedford Group charity for community distribution.

The best part of this job was the teamwork, working closely with other people to achieve a shared goal
Sai Ramsay (Magnetite Administrator/Document Controller)

Coordinated by Angie Stokes (SIMEC Mining Manager Engineering Services), the logistics of the operation came together with the assistance of many team leaders and a willing band of workers who were rewarded with a barbecue lunch and a huge serve of self-satisfaction.

“It was a fantastic day with a real sense of achievement,” Angie said.

“We had a whole team of volunteers wanting to achieve the best for themselves and their co-workers in making the work environment the best it can be considering the age and history of the facility.

“We work with some amazing people and I felt so proud being part of the day.”

Sai Ramsay (Magnetite Administrator/Document Controller) said the work not only improved working environment, it was also a great networking and team building exercise that will be followed by monthly group lunches to maintain the connectivity of the teams.

“The best part of this job was the teamwork, working closely with other people to achieve a shared goal,” Sai said.

“It was an amazing day to see everyone put their best effort in with a smiling face and a positive mindset to the project.”

As for surprising or unusual finds, there weren’t any skeletons in the closet but the team did find some documents in Block 7 that dated back to the 1960s.

We work with some amazing people and I felt so proud being part of the day
Angie Stokes (SIMEC Mining Manager Engineering Services)

Site Services Supervisor Bryan Collins said there were too many people to thank individually but he did reserve special mention for Angie Stokes, Ian Reschke, Sai Ramsay, Matthew Peacock, Andrew Schwenke, Steve Player, Jen Gerrard, Rose Range and Bianca Standing for coordinating their team’s efforts.

“And a special nod to those that cooked the barbecue for us,” Bryan said.