THE Queensland Department of Mines and Energy has highlighted the importance of proximity detection systems for mining.
According to statistics from the US Mine Safety and Health Administration, 72% of deaths related to mining machines occurred while the victim was operating the remote control. These fatalities occur during regular mining cycles, with the majority happening during place changing, maintenance and setting over.
The department also warned tramming within the turning radius of the remote control continuous miner can be fatal. Because of the risk of the operator being caught in pinch points, certain areas around the machine should be off-limits when the unit is operating.
Proximity detection for both underground and open-cut mines could avoid such fatal incidents, according to the department. They would have sensors which would prompt an alarm when machinery got too close to operators.
Before installing proximity detection systems, mine operators should conduct a risk assessment, and mine personnel will need to be educated after commissioning.
A number of mines have already introduced the system, including Anglo Grasstree, North Wambo, and Xstrata zinc.
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