St John WA’s support is out of this world  

In the heart of the Midwest outback, a groundbreaking feat of science is taking shape, with St John WA providing crucial medical support to the team bringing it to life.   

The SKA Observatory (SKAO) is building, and will soon operate, one of Earth’s biggest science facilities, allowing astronomers to look deeper into the Universe than ever before.  

Supported by 16 countries, two state-of-the-art telescopes are being constructed across the globe as part of the mega-science project.   

The SKA-Low in WA and the SKA-Mid in South Africa will help map the history of time in unprecedented detail, reaching back to the formation of the first stars and galaxies.  

Work began earlier this year to install the first of more than 130,000 Christmas tree-shaped antennas set to make up the SKA-Low telescope at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory.  

Located on Wajarri Country, about 400km from Geraldton, SKA-Low must be built as far from manmade electronics as possible to detect the faintest of radio signals that have travelled billions of light years across space.  

Due to its remote location, it is vital to have robust medical support for the more than 100 people working to construct the SKA-Low telescope every day.  

SJWA has partnered with SKAO to provide vital medical coverage across the remote 74km patch for the next five years. 

Two SJWA paramedics rotate on-site, with access to a fully equipped ambulance and medical room to provide immediate care to any workers in an emergency or life-threatening situation.  

The paramedics also provide proactive and preventative health strategies to support the SKA-Low team.   

This includes hydration monitoring, provision of electrolyte replacement and one-on-one support for staff and contractors.   

They also help train the emergency response team, so they are better equipped to help in an emergency.  

This partnership was made possible through SJWA’s Industry Medical Services (IMS) which provides a wide range of medical services to workers on commercial sites, including mines, remote nursing posts, exploration sites, offshore facilities, and custodial facilities. 

IMS recruits clinical personnel for short-term and long-term assignments and supports a broad range of client needs. Find out more here.