Adapting for extreme heat

Last updated: 5 February 2026 

In Australia, stepping out of air-conditioned comfort during summer can feel like you’ve walked into an oven.

In desert regions like the Pilbara in Western Australia, where many of our iron ore mines operate, it’s particularly gruelling. Temperatures can soar past 40°C (104°F) for weeks at a time during summer. The Pilbara recorded its highest temperature to date in Onslow in January 2022: 50.7°C (123.26°F), and during a February 2024 heatwave, the Pilbara sustained higher than average temperatures across the region, recording the hottest February on record.

And it’s getting hotter every year.

Extreme heat poses a serious and growing risk to our people and operations. Heat stress can range from mild discomfort and reduced productivity to life-threatening conditions such as heat stroke. Rising temperatures may also increase the risk of safety incidents due to onset of fatigue, and added strain from personal protective equipment (PPE). Beyond health impacts, extreme heat can also lead to infrastructure damage, machinery failure, and trigger power outages, creating significant operational challenges. 

And it’s not just heat we need to think about. Climate change is expected to bring more extreme conditions – more intense bushfires, extreme rainfall leading to more severe flooding, stronger cyclones and longer droughts. It might also mean more dust in the air, tighter water supplies, and even higher risks of mosquito-borne illnesses like Ross River virus and Murray Valley encephalitis. 

To continue to operate safely and productively in sustained, rising temperatures, we're prioritising the health and safety of our people through a range of initiatives that will help us manage climate risks, now and in the future.

Protecting our people

Nothing is more important than the safety and health of our people. Our guidelines and training will continue to evolve to ensure we manage extreme heat with care for our people. 

“The primary issue for keeping people safe is managing the elevation of core body temperature,” said David, our Principal Occupational Hygienist. 

“You can only really reduce that through active management – smart work scheduling and regular breaks in cooler environments. It sounds simple, but it’s the most effective control.” 

To safeguard our workers, we provide air-conditioned operator cabins and break areas, including portable options like light vehicles (referred to as ‘cool zones’) so even those in remote locations can escape the heat on their breaks.  

As the sun is one of the biggest contributors to heat stress, we set up shade wherever possible to give workers relief from harsh solar radiation and help lower temperatures.  

And we supply protective clothing to prevent sunburn and contact burns, promote the use of apps and technology to monitor ongoing issues, and train our teams to recognise and manage heat stress effectively.  

Where possible, we schedule maintenance during cooler parts of the day or at night, to reduce heat exposure for workers and stress on equipment.  

We also highlight the importance of acclimating workers to minimise heat-related risks, especially after extended leave.  

“Being acclimated to working in a high-heat environment is critical because it allows the body to adapt to heat stress, reducing the risk of heat-related illness while improving safety, endurance and overall work performance” David said.  

“Residential workers tend to handle heat better than FIFO workers because they live in those conditions all the time.” 

Monitoring and planning for heat

Planning to mitigate how weather impacts our operations is a part of all mining operations.  

While we can’t predict exact temperature increases, projections show rising heat and more frequent extreme days in coming decades, giving us a chance to plan and adapt now rather than react later. Some decisions we make today – particularly around materials we use, infrastructure we build, and places we choose to mine – will have a big impact on how we may need to operate in future.  

That’s why we’re deepening our focus on climate resilience, addressing local and regional risks, and working with leading climate consultants to refine our strategies.  

“We’ve always known when the high-heat months are coming, but what we’re seeing now is an extension of those days,” David said.  

“We are now seeing a greater number of days above 40°C, and that heat load on the worker is extended by default.”  

At our Gudai-Darri operation in the Pilbara, maximum air temperatures currently exceed 40°C for about 40 days a year. By 2050, this could double to 80 days annually under high-emission scenarios. Understanding these risks helps us adapt and prepare.  

So we’re using the latest weather and climate data – short-term forecasts for short-term planning, and longer climate outlooks to prepare for seasonal variations, rainy seasons, long-term planning, and risk assessments.  

We also use catastrophe modelling to estimate potential financial losses from events like tropical cyclones. 

Automation and technology 

When the heat turns up, machines have an advantage – they can keep working in conditions that would put people at serious risk.  

Automated systems help us keep equipment running smoothly, even when temperatures soar. Whether it’s a drone reseeding a rehabilitation area from the sky or automated water trucks to reduce dust, they can reduce the chance of heat-related safety issues or mechanical failures and let us monitor asset temperatures in real time, so we can spot issues before they become costly breakdowns. 

In the Pilbara, automation also helps us manage risks like track buckling. Our trains operate in remote areas, and real-time monitoring means we can detect and fix problems before they escalate. 

At Gudai-Darri, we’re taking this a step further with digital twins – virtual models of our operations that let us simulate and predict how assets will perform under extreme conditions. This technology helps us plan smarter maintenance and keep productivity high, even when the mercury climbs. 

We’re looking at tech that supports people too. 

“We’re seeing more reliance on technology – apps and wearables that guide decision-making,” David said.  

Preparing for a hotter future 

In 2022, we conducted a review of our Pilbara operations to help us set a benchmark for preparations.  

That review flagged some big risks: hotter temperatures, stronger cyclones, heavier floods, and other climate-driven challenges. 

We’ve already started closing the gaps it identified, because rising temperatures aren’t a “maybe” – they’re inevitable. And adapting isn’t optional. 

“It’s a multi-faceted problem,” David said.  

“Higher temperatures affect everything. So future-proofing means thinking about heat at every level – from design reviews to maintenance and operation, to closing sites safely and sustainably.  

“These assets have to work in adverse conditions for decades, and that safety needs to be non-negotiable.” 

For now, we’re adapting the way we plan, operate, and monitor so our people, operations, and communities can keep thriving.  

And as conditions keep changing, we’ll keep evolving too – because resilience is an ongoing commitment.