How Topdrill Improved Worker Safety Outcomes
See how Topdrill strengthened remote worker safety, improved visibility, and saved 180+ hours monthly by replacing manual journey management with SafetyIQ.
Industry
Mining & Metals
Employees
201-500
Location
Australia
About
Topdrill
Topdrill is one of Australia’s leading privately owned drilling services providers, known for delivering high-performance exploration, grade control, and geotechnical drilling across some of the country’s most remote and demanding environments. Founded in Kalgoorlie in 2006, the company has grown into a major partner for mining and resources clients through its modern fleet, strong safety culture, and commitment to technology-driven operations.
SafetyIQ has been well accepted by all personnel. We now apply a system where at the end of the day, we know all personnel have returned home to their loved ones or back to camp safely.
Topdrill
Topdrill
Topdrill, a resource and drilling company operating across some of the most remote regions in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, needed a safer and more reliable way to manage travel risks for their mobile workforce. Their previous whiteboard and call-in/check-out process depended heavily on memory, creating major visibility and safety gaps. After seeing SafetyIQ demonstrated at a Rio Tinto Contractor Forum, Topdrill adopted the platform to improve real-time monitoring, automate check-ins, and strengthen response readiness. The software was quickly embraced across the entire workforce, supported by strong leadership, clear communication, and existing familiarity from workers who had seen it used on RTIO sites. Since adopting SafetyIQ, Topdrill significantly improved travel safety, increased team confidence, and reduced manual administration by over 180 hours a month.
Challenges
Topdrill’s crews often travel through extremely remote, rugged, and high-risk environments, leaving them vulnerable to isolation, fatigue, and delayed emergency response. Their manual journey management system—whiteboards and verbal check-ins—relied entirely on workers remembering to call and supervisors remembering to verify their return. This created large safety gaps and made it difficult to confirm where employees were at any given time. As their operations expanded across WA and the NT, visibility into worker travel became even harder to maintain. Leadership recognized that travel was one of the biggest risks in the business and needed a modern, guaranteed method of knowing workers arrived safely. The company required a reliable, automated solution that reduced human error and improved response time.
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Solutions
Topdrill adopted SafetyIQ after seeing it used and endorsed at a Rio Tinto Contractor Forum, immediately recognizing its ability to support remote, high-risk travel. SafetyIQ provided automated journey creation, real-time monitoring, and fast escalation for missed check-ins, replacing the unreliable manual process. The entire organization—from leadership to field workers—was onboarded, supported by internal champions like Supervisor Brian Dowdle who reinforced consistent adoption. Workers quickly trusted the system, even testing missed check-ins to verify the escalation process. SafetyIQ was integrated with Topdrill’s IVMS, giving managers full visibility of both travel plans and live vehicle locations. The platform was added into inductions, signage, and vehicle reminders to maintain ongoing compliance.
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Results
Topdrill now has real-time awareness of worker movements and can rapidly respond if someone misses a check-in. The combination of SafetyIQ and IVMS ensures supervisors can pinpoint exactly where an employee is and act immediately if needed. SafetyIQ has been embraced across the workforce, improving safety culture and reinforcing confidence that everyone returns safely each day. Administrative burden has dropped dramatically, reducing manual journey management by over 180 hours per month. This has delivered nearly $9,000 in monthly savings while strengthening safety outcomes. SafetyIQ is now a key part of Topdrill’s operational safety approach and daily travel routines.
See how SafetyIQ helps simplify EHS management and builds a stronger safety culture.
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