Favorsea Committed to Mining Safety

Safety in mining is all of our concern and great strides have been made by mining industry employers as well as regulatory bodies to see this through. Globally, the Vision Zero campaign has integrated the approach to prevention under the banner of “safety, health, and well-being” at all levels of work.

With the widespread commitment to mining safety, collision avoidance systems (CAS) by way of proximity detection systems (PDS) are one such way of avoiding harm to people and property in mines. Favorsea Africa plays a pivotal role in the supply of machinery and technologies for both underground and open-pit mining throughout the globe.

In South Africa mining safety regulations have been under scrutiny since 1996 with the inception of the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA), and the 2015 amendments to the Chapter 8 regulations – which address the safe use of diesel-powered trackless mobile machinery (TMM). This legislation first necessitates that companies, based on an approved risk assessment, implement an automatic detection system, which can audibly/visually warn operators of an imminent collision (Level Seven Intervention). The second part stipulates that there must be some sort of automatic intervention by the system to prevent a collision if the operator fails to act and that the TMM must failsafe, if necessary (Level Nine Intervention).

With a system that is both easy to use for the operator, and provides real-time visibility and reporting for the back office it exceeds in making the mining environment safer. With Level Nine Intervention control over machinery; it is this intervention that allows for optimal safety controls on site. The system will initially send warning sounds to the operator and eventually automatically slow down the machinery. The system alerts the operator about other vehicles, obstacles, and personnel around it.

With Favorsea Africa‘s mining safety solutions you can address mining safety concerns such as fatigue detection, and blind spot monitoring which prevents operator fatigue and mining accidents and incidents. The Favorsea Africa CAS incorporates GPS positioning, radio frequency (RF) technology and artificial intelligence (AI) camera’s. Multiple radars detect any physical obstruction and relay data about the size and speed of the obstruction or approaching vehicles to the CAS. The software uses an algorithm to determine whether the machines are on a collision path and to take the appropriate action within milliseconds if the operator fails to do so. Favorsea GM Innocent Chimunhu noted that the company could also enable a failsafe mechanism if a client requests it. Further, the system’s parameters (range up to 100 m) for Level Nine and are determined by the risk assessment done on-site. Geofencing can be used in certain areas, for example, in the pit or on an access road to prevent entry to high-risk areas.

Mineworkers and visitors will use GPS tags. Non-mining vehicles will make use of a portable system to allow full functionality of the system on-site.

The CAS can be installed onto older ‘non-intelligent vehicles making the technology more accessible to operators and junior miners who might not necessarily have the capital to buy some of the latest model TMMs but still need to comply with the regulations. Another added benefit is that the system interfaces directly with OEM Canbus. The system has been proven to avoid accidents and incidents in various real-life scenarios: a head-on collision with both trucks accelerating toward each other, one truck accelerating towards a stationary vehicle, trucks approaching an intersection, and a queuing scenario.

As Favorsea Africa recently achieved ISO 9001 certification in Quality, Occupational Health, and Environmental Management – you can rest assured that your investment is in reputable hands and ensures that you are continuing with your daily operations.

Now more than ever, it makes sense and cents to invest in technologies that will keep mining employees as well as mobile equipment safe.

South Africa Office