O
perations in an opencast mine frequently require a variety of
large equipment to interact in extremely close proximity.
Interactions are carefully controlled through standard procedures
and constant communication between operators working
together. However, as managers and operators push to improve their
productivity, the likelihood of a breakdown in procedure increases. The
scale of modern mining equipment means that any collision between
vehicles has serious safety and economic implications. It is for these
reasons that collision avoidance systems have been a major point of
focus in recent years.
Collisions between large mining vehicles have the potential to cause
serious injury and death. In the US alone, there are upwards of ten
fatalities caused by powered haulage and machinery incidents each year,
according to a review of recent fatal incident reports published by the
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
Ian Bell, Motion Metrics International
Corp., Canada,
explains how collision
avoidance technology can prevent
accidents and save lives.
