Case Study
Dalrymple Bay Increases Safety Reporting by 82% with SoterCoach
How Australia's largest coal export terminal transformed safety culture through wearable technology
About Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal
Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) is one of the world's largest coal export terminals, located near Mackay in Queensland, Australia. The facility handles over 85 million tonnes of coal annually, operating 24/7 with a workforce of hundreds of employees and contractors managing complex logistics, heavy equipment, and demanding physical work.
As a critical piece of Australia's export infrastructure, DBCT maintains the highest standards for safety, environmental protection, and operational excellence. The terminal's commitment to worker safety drives continuous innovation in how they identify and mitigate workplace risks.
The Challenge
Despite robust safety systems, DBCT faced challenges in creating a truly proactive safety culture:
- Underreporting of hazards: Workers weren't consistently reporting near-misses and potential safety concerns through the EQSP (Environmental, Quality, Safety, and People) system
- Ergonomic risks: Manual handling tasks in coal terminal operations—climbing ladders, working in confined spaces, repetitive movements—created ongoing injury risks
- Reactive safety culture: Safety efforts focused more on responding to incidents rather than preventing them proactively
- Limited visibility: Supervisors couldn't observe all workers across the expansive terminal facility, making it difficult to identify risky behaviors
- Engagement challenges: Traditional safety training and reporting systems weren't fully engaging the workforce in safety initiatives
DBCT needed a solution that would empower workers to take ownership of their safety, increase hazard reporting, and shift from reactive incident management to proactive risk prevention.
The Solution: Technology-Driven Safety Culture
DBCT implemented SoterCoach wearable technology as part of a comprehensive strategy to transform their safety culture. The implementation focused on three key pillars:
Real-Time Worker Feedback
Workers wore SoterCoach devices during their shifts, receiving immediate vibration alerts when performing high-risk movements. This real-time feedback helped workers develop better body mechanics and awareness of ergonomic risks in their daily tasks.
The technology monitored spine angles, shoulder positions, and movement patterns specific to coal terminal operations—climbing, lifting, reaching, and working in awkward postures.
Data-Driven Safety Insights
Management accessed comprehensive dashboards showing movement data across teams, shifts, and work areas. This visibility enabled them to identify high-risk tasks, problematic work zones, and opportunities for process improvements or engineering controls.
The data helped prioritize safety investments and measure the effectiveness of interventions, creating an evidence-based approach to risk management.
Cultural Engagement & Empowerment
SoterCoach became a catalyst for broader cultural change. Workers felt empowered to take ownership of their safety, leading to increased engagement with the EQSP reporting system. The technology made safety tangible and personal, rather than abstract and bureaucratic.
Regular coaching sessions, team competitions, and recognition programs reinforced positive behaviors and celebrated safety improvements.
By combining wearable technology with cultural initiatives, DBCT created a comprehensive approach that addressed both individual behaviors and systemic safety culture challenges.
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The Impact: Transformational Safety Culture Change
The implementation of SoterCoach at Dalrymple Bay delivered remarkable improvements across multiple dimensions of safety performance:
Safety Culture Metrics
- • 82% increase in EQSP reporting
- • 89% worker engagement rate
- • 76% improvement in safety awareness
- • 3x increase in proactive hazard identification
Ergonomic Improvements
- • 63% reduction in high-risk movements
- • 58% improvement in lifting technique
- • 71% decrease in awkward postures
- • 45% reduction in discomfort reports
Operational Benefits
- • Reduced injury-related downtime
- • Improved worker morale and satisfaction
- • Enhanced team collaboration on safety
- • Better contractor safety integration
Long-Term Impact
- • Sustained improvements over 2+ years
- • Embedded in safety culture
- • Model for other facilities
- • Industry recognition for innovation
The 82% increase in EQSP reporting represents a fundamental shift in safety culture—workers are now actively identifying and reporting potential hazards before they become incidents. This proactive approach has positioned DBCT as a leader in safety innovation within the coal export industry.
Voices from the Terminal
"SoterCoach has made me much more aware of how I move throughout my shift. I used to just power through tasks without thinking about my posture, but now I'm conscious of keeping my back straight and using proper technique. It's become second nature."
— Operations Technician, DBCT
"The increase in EQSP reporting has been remarkable. Workers are now actively looking for potential hazards and reporting them before they become problems. SoterCoach helped create a culture where everyone feels responsible for safety, not just management."
— Safety Manager, DBCT
"The data from SoterCoach helped us identify that certain maintenance tasks were causing repeated high-risk movements. We redesigned the procedures and provided better tools, which has made a huge difference. It's not just about changing worker behavior—it's about fixing the system."
— Operations Manager, DBCT
Sustained Success & Industry Leadership
More than two years after implementation, DBCT continues to see sustained improvements in safety culture and ergonomic performance. SoterCoach has become an integral part of their safety management system, with new employees and contractors receiving training on the technology during onboarding.
The success at DBCT has attracted attention from across the coal export industry, with other terminals and mining operations looking to replicate their approach. DBCT has shared their learnings at industry conferences and safety forums, positioning themselves as leaders in safety innovation.
"SoterCoach has been transformational for our safety culture," says DBCT's General Manager. "We've moved from a compliance-based approach to a truly proactive safety culture where every worker is engaged and empowered. The technology was the catalyst, but the cultural change is what makes it sustainable."
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