Proof in the field.

The client was weighing several underground mining methods to support future growth — but had no transparent way to compare the non-financial risks. Detailed technical and financial models existed; a structured view of safety, geotechnical, operational and strategic risk did not.

• ›High capital intensity and long asset life
• ›Elevated safety and geotechnical exposure
• ›Irreversible, board-level investment decisions
• ›Block cave carried seismic risk; sublevel stoping was safer but limited long-term value

Auxilium One applied a Risk Option Analysis framework that compares strategic alternatives on a relative-risk basis — aligned directly to the client's core objectives of safety and long-term value, and built to be repeatable, auditable and run as a cross-functional workshop.

• ✓A custom Risk Option Analysis model with 15+ mining-specific risk variables
• ✓Agreed weightings separating mandatory from desirable criteria
• ✓Structured scoring workshops across mining, geotechnical, operations and leadership
• ✓Automated weighted scoring with a fatal-flaw override to eliminate unacceptable options

The analysis showed a phased strategy — starting with lower-risk Sublevel Open Stoping and transitioning to a high-grade Block Cave — carried the lowest relative risk once safety and long-term value were prioritised. The client adopted the phased approach and moved into detailed studies with strong alignment and materially reduced decision risk.

A 36 km access road built for low-frequency exploration had to carry construction traffic — jumping from ~15 to over 400 loads a month. It crossed steep, forested terrain, had seen multiple community fatalities in five years, and was deteriorating. Yet it was temporary, needed for roughly a year before a permanent road opened.

"How much capital should we spend — and where — on a road we'll use for a year?"

A risk-led, capital-disciplined strategy that put investment only where it cut the most safety and productivity risk:

• 1LiDAR survey of the full alignment, flagging gradients over 17% and curve radii under 20 m
• 2Multidisciplinary field inspection — civil, logistics, maintenance and risk
• 3A Structured What-If (SWIFT) assessment surfacing 31 areas of concern
• 4Option analysis to focus engineering on the 14 highest-risk locations
• 5Bow-tie analysis to control the rest with operational measures

Capital went to the highest-risk sections only, and directly informed the construction tender scope. The upgrade was completed and commissioned six months ago; the road now carries ~300 loads a month with no significant safety or production incidents — safe, reliable access without over-capitalising a temporary asset.