Modern Mining October 2019

sets new benchmarks

their cap lamps – while vehicles are fitted with VLF antennae which create stable fields of a predeter- mined size and shape around the vehicle. The size of the field can be determined by customers to suit their specific operating environments and address identi- fied risks. The system can detect as many as seven trackless mining machines (TMMs) and 20 pedestri- ans at once in the underground environment. When a pedestrian enters the zone in which the field is established, the tag is activated and a warn- ing signal – which consists of a light and sound alarm – is triggered and simultaneously the operator of the vehicle is also warned that a pedestrian has entered the danger zone. If equipped and configured appro- priately, the vehicle can also be slowed down at a certain distance from the pedestrian, and similarly brought to a slow stop. The accuracy of the system ensures that there is sufficient reaction time after warnings are given for the operator to act, reducing the possibility of a collision. According to Lourens, the use of VLF technology is what sets Booyco apart from most of its competi- tors. “When we started the business, the focus was on underground pedestrians,” he notes. “That’s when we identified VLF as the best route to follow. VLF signals can propagate through the rock mass underground, which allows a pedestrian, for exam- ple, to be warned of an approaching vehicle even if it is around a corner and out of sight.”

He adds that in 2015 Booyco added GPS tech- nology to its PDS for vehicle detection on surface. “Since introducing our surface offering for vehicles, it has proved very popular and now accounts for a major part of our sales. Our underground and sur- face systems are compatible with each other and we have customers whose underground vehicles inter- face with their surface equipment. All units have the same controller, which we call a Booyco Host Unit or BHU.” On the subject of legislation, Lourens points out that regulations gazetted in 2015 as amendments to South Africa’s Mine Health and Safety Act put the onus on employers to take “reasonably practical measures” to ensure that pedestrians are protected from injury. “In essence, mine owners must undertake risk assessments and mitigate against significant risk – which in practical terms means that if there is an assessed risk they will have to install a PDS,” he explains. “The regulations further stipulate certain requirements regarding warning systems to pedes- trians and TMM operators, including automatic means of retarding speed and braking on TMMs. The regulations already apply to all electrically driven machines while diesel-operated machines will need to be compliant by 2020.” Lourens acknowledges that the legislation has been a driver of sales in recent years. “For many

Booyco Electronics’ PDS system is assembled and tested locally at its head office in Jet Park.

feature

October 2019  MODERN MINING  35