Capital Equipment News May 2024

MINING TECHNOLOGY

BBE’s VUMA HUB Software tool promotes a safe working environment

BBE, a specialist company in mine ventilation and refrigeration, has launched its VUMA HUB software package, offering a safe and user friendly system to streamline ventilation and occupational hygiene reporting functions. VUMA HUB can be utilised in both underground and opencast mine operations across various disciplines, writes Adriaan Roets .

ronments or conditions,” explains Christo Visagie, Director at BBE. HUB is an internally developed software tool based on BBE’s expertise and experi ence in mining environments. “Our developers are employed inter nally and are highly experienced and qualified in software development. they also work closely with our in-house ven tilation and occupational hygiene consul tants. Bringing these two skills together is part of the extra effort we put into the system to ensure it is designed correct ly,” says Visagie. “HUB algorithms based on multi-commodity industry standards, and guidelines set out by the DMRE, are used as design criteria and legal limits. These are programmed into the software and used to flag certain scenarios.” Successful proof of concept Visagie notes that BBE completed a proof of-concept project at one of South Africa’s major mining companies, where it was deployed at one of their shafts. Following the successful completion of this project, HUB was rolled out at three of the company’s shafts where it is currently in operation. “We recently rolled out the latest update to the system, and it is in daily operation and running successfully. If

V UMA HUB is a state-of the-art software system specifically developed for mines. It uses approved industry standards, stores information digitally, and provides cus tomised data analysis to promote safe and healthy working environments.

“Measured environmental con ditions are logged and stored in HUB. This information is constantly analysed using specified legal criteria supplied by both the mines and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), and will auto matically flag unsafe working envi

A key benefit of using HUB is that the system enables industry standards to be used throughout the mining company’s various shafts or mining operations. Ultimately, it’s one set of standards that are implemented, which all companies are familiar with. This minimises the need for training and maintenance of ventilation and occupational hygiene systems.

Christo Visagie, Director at BBE

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS MAY 2024 20