Tech, drones make mines safer

According to the Minerals Council South Africa, the number of fatalities in the local mining sector declined by 75% overall between 1995 and 2021, with fall-of-ground fatalities declining by 85%. Over the same period, total injuries decreased by 66%.

However, the mining industry’s safety performance deteriorated in 2021 for the second consecutive year, with the number of fatalities and injuries increasing year on year.

The August 2022 Safety in Mining fact sheet released by the Minerals Council shows that fatalities regressed by 23%, increasing from 60 in 2020 to 74 in 2021. Injuries also increased by 11%, from 1,814 in 2020 to 2,014 in 2021.

In response, industry stakeholders have sought ways to improve safety performance on mine sites, with many miners turning to technology for solutions.

Open and underground mine operations pose various safety risks as workers may operate while activity continues above and around them. These circumstances create the potential for injuries and fatalities from ground fall or contact with equipment.

In these environments, automating machinery offers an intelligent risk reduction approach that balances safety without compromising output.

Murray Macnab, Group Technical Director at UMS Group, explains that the greatest risks arise when heavy machinery operates while workers are in close proximity.

“When mines operate machines remotely, with no human activities undertaken in parallel, they can effectively elevate productivity without compromising safety,” he says.

Kevin Naicker, Partner at Boston Consulting Group, Johannesburg, highlights additional ways that technological innovations are helping to reduce risks in the mining industry.

“There is increasing adoption of digital tools within the health, safety and environment (HSE) space. A specific example entails the use of realistic virtual reality simulations to onboard new employees, refresh returning employees and retrain underperforming employees on health and safety rules and regulations.”

Drones have also emerged as invaluable tools in the mining sector. Mine operators already integrate drones across on-site operations to perform various tasks such as stockpile measurement, surveying, mapping and inspections.

With regard to HSE, Naicker says drones can monitor air quality and working conditions within underground and surface mining operations.

“Applying this emerging technology in the underground mining environment can help protect workers while simultaneously reducing the time typically taken to conduct these checks in the traditional manner and thus positively impact productivity,” he concludes.