Modern Mining October 2016

SAFETY IN MINING

developed human machine interface. It incorporates a high definition LED screen

a single supplier. We at Booyco would like to see a standard for PDS being defined and – to this end – we are a vigorous participant in the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT) forum whose objective is to advance the standardisation and design of equipment to improve safe operability and maintainability.” Despite its rather broad name, EMESRT is primarily a mining industry initiative involv- ing major mining companies – such as Anglo American, Barrick and Rio Tinto – and leading OEMs. “One of the tasks it is working on is a standard for PDS and we want this in place by the end of this year,” says Lourens. While PDS technology forms the core of Booyco Electronics’ offering, the company does offer several other products. These include the Sentient, a handheld gas detection device which is the first multi-gas instrument available in South Africa that measures relative humidity as a standard offering; a UPS system which is intrinsically safe and suitable for underground use; the Booyco biometric key unit, specifi- cally developed to eliminate the borrowing of vehicle keys or access cards to allow access or operation of mining equipment; and the Trapped Miner Locator. The Trapped Miner Locator uses simi- lar technology to the Booyco PDS, with VLF tags being installed in miners’ cap lamps. In the event of a rescue situation, the VLF loca- tor and the antenna are taken underground by the rescue team. This handheld locating device is used to transmit a signal which is then acknowledged by the tag in the miner’s cap lamp. The system can operate through up to 30 m of rock. One of the most recent additions to the Booyco Electronics range is its Asset Protection System (APS). Designed for easy and effective communication between vehicles operating on surface, the APS transfers information between users via a new, in-house designed and

and high-level controller with massive computa- tional power to operate quickly at high speed. The first APS proto- types were completed at the end of 2015 and the system is now commercially available. Says Lourens: “Our

APS complements our PDS technology, which we had already modified for use in surface mining applications. The two systems can be totally integrated and operated from a single interface.” Looking ahead, Lourens says that probably the biggest single challenge facing Booyco is customer education. “As I’ve said, many mines are receptive to PDS technology in principle but that does not always translate into a fit-for- purpose solution that gains user acceptance at the ‘mining face’. We need full buy in from managers and workers and at the moment we don’t necessarily get that. So we are putting a great deal of effort into explaining to miners what best practice technologies can reasonably be expected to do and what their limitations are, as well as how they can be implemented to maximum advantage. “Our goal is to create a culture where all the workers at a mine embrace and fully com- mit to PDS – not merely because it is a legal requirement but because they themselves are convinced that it can save lives. We’re well on our way to achieving this objective and the level of awareness of the benefits of PDS tech- nology is certainly many times greater than it was when the company was founded a decade ago,” he concludes. 

Booyco’s PDS meets all current legislation.

Trackless mobile machinery – what the regulations say The amendments to the Mine Health and Safety Act that came into force last year state that “All electrically or battery pow- ered trackless mobile machines, excluding shovels, bucket wheel excavators and overburden drills, must be provided with means to automatically detect the presence of any pedestrian within its vicinity. Upon detecting the presence of a pedestrian, the operator of the trackless mobile machine and the pedes- trian must be warned of each other’s presence by means of an effective warning. In the event where no action is taken to prevent potential collision, further means must be provided to retard the trackless mobile machine to a safe speed where after

the brakes of the trackless mobile machine are automatically applied without human intervention.” A similar clause governs ‘communication’between trackless mobile machines with the regulations stating that “Every die- sel powered trackless mobile machine must be provided with means to automatically detect the presence of any other diesel powered trackless mobile machine within its vicinity… .” The regulations define a ‘trackless mobile machine’ as “any self-propelled mobile machine that is used for the purpose of performing mining, transport or associated operations under- ground or on surface at a mine.” 

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October 2016  MODERN MINING  37