1. INTRODUCTION – Misfire means the complete or partial failure of a blasting charge to explode as planned. The explosive or pyrotechnical products that remain in the ground or in the muckpile might be triggered by any mechanical effect during the digging, milling or crushing stages of the mining process, causing injuries or fatalities to blasters or operators.

The potential consequences of a misfire are such that every reasonably practicable means available to site managers should be taken to avoid misfires. The emphasis should be made on prevention rather than cure.

Dealing with a misfire is potentially the most dangerous activity that site managers and Shotfirers will be involved in during blasting operations. In the event of a misfire, it is likely that unexploded charges and detonators will be left in the face or in the muckpile. These charges could be detonated if drilled into, if struck by an excavator bucket, wheels or tracks, or if inadvertently fed through a crushing plant. Unexploded charges may also be loaded out accidentally and taken either off site in road vehicles or to site tips. In any of these circumstances there may be a risk of danger to the operator or to the public, particularly from fly-rock in the event of a detonation.

Unexploded charges may need to be recovered by hand. All those likely to be involved must realise that this is a potentially dangerous operation. Great care and attention to detail is required to ensure that this is carried out safely.

2. RECOGNITION OF MISFIRES – After firing, a proper examination must be carried out to check the state of the face, that all the charges have fired and that there is no indication of a misfire. However, explosives can still be discovered at the face, in the muckpile or at the processing plant.

Any discovery of undetonated explosives or detonating cord must be reported since their presence constitutes a misfire. Indications of a misfire can include noxious fumes, inadequate ground movement, poor fragmentation, unusual blast sound or vibration trace, flyrock or evidence of undetonated explosives

3. POST BLAST INSPECTION – Post blast inspection is a hazardous task and in all circumstances must be carried out in accordance with the site rules.

Hazards exist not only from the existence of undetonated explosives but also from the post blast environment.

There is the possibility of a misfire remaining undetected even after inspection. It is therefore essential that adequately trained personnel regularly check the muckpile and face throughout the loading operation.

All personnel but especially those operating loading equipment, hauling equipment and crushers should be aware of this possibility and must be instructed to report abnormalities.

The extent and nature of the misfire must be determined as soon as possible after the misfire has been detected.

An exclusion zone must be established and secured until such time as any readily retrievable explosive has been collected and removed.

4. IN THE EVENT OF A MISFIRE – If a misfire is discovered during the post blast inspection then the “all clear” signal should not be given until a new exclusion zone has been established and secured.

The exclusion zone must be established by the responsible person who could be either the site manager or the blasting engineer or the shotfirer.

The immediate priority must be to ensure that arrangements to safeguard personnel in the event of a misfire are adequate and complied with.

Only those personnel directly concerned with the misfire should be within the exclusion zone.

5. DEALING WITH MISFIRES – The following procedures should be considered as possible courses of action in dealing with misfires.

* Removing stemming and re-priming

There may be circumstances in which it is possible to remove stemming in order to gain access and to reprime the charge. This is a potentially hazardous operation, which requires great care. It should only be attempted after detailed consideration.

When a hole contains detonators and it is anticipated that excessive force will be required to remove the stemming then the operation must not be attempted. This could result in premature initiation of the charge, particularly if the detonator is close to the top of the main charge and is immediately below the stemming.

If the hole contains an electric detonator the use of high velocity air to remove the stemming should not be attempted. Static charges sufficient to initiate electric detonators can be created.

Bulk explosive can be washed out of misfired shotholes but the utmost care must be taken in removing cartridges, particularly where detonators are involved. Under no circumstances must explosives or detonators be removed from a borehole by pulling on the detonator leads. Suitable extraction tools are available to enable cartridges to be removed. These usually take the form of a corkscrew or barb of nonferrous material which can be connected to stemming rods.

The following factors must be considered:

The use of high pressure water is unlikely to overcome the mechanical lock of stemming comprising chippings; The use of large quantities of water could desensitise any non waterproof explosive and dissolve any explosive with a high concentration of water soluble ingredients;

In situations where multiple decks of explosives are employed, all the above considerations magnify the difficulty of gaining access to the lower decks of explosives. Irrespective of the number of explosive decks, removal of the stemming in order to gain access to the charge as to re-prime is a technique, which ranges from unattractive at best to extremely difficult.

Any tools used inside the borehole to remove stemming must be non-ferrous.

If all the stemming can be removed and access to the top of the charge is achieved, the charge may be reprimed and refired. However it should be noted that in the event of a partial misfire the burden on the misfired shothole can often be reduced or fractured and a careful assessment of the situation must be made before any decision is reached.

* Drilling and firing relieving holes

The hazards in drilling relieving holes are:-

a) intersecting an explosives column, with a high risk of detonation

b) operating a drill in unstable rock conditions

The object of such holes when fired is:

•  To disturb and displace the adjacent explosive column so that any primers and detonators remaining unfired are not located within an undisturbed explosive column after this blasting;

•  To break up the rock mass in the region of the misfired hole in order to facilitate the search for and retrieval of any unexploded charges, primers and detonators.

One or more relieving holes may be drilled behind the misfired hole. The separation distance between the holes depends on the diameter, the inclination and the type of drilling equipment and the sensitiveness of the explosives. Any relieving hole must be drilled parallel to the misfired hole and to the same depth. To ensure that the holes are parallel it is essential that the information relating to the inclination and azimuth of the misfired hole is accurate. Care must be taken to drill the relieving hole at the same angle. The precise location of the relieving hole can only be established after careful assessment of the local conditions. Consideration should also be given to operating the drill rig remotely. It may be necessary to seek expert advice.

A further option is to drill small diameter relieving holes around the collar of the misfired hole. These are systematically fired to work off the rock and expose the charge. There may be adjacent charged holes, which must be considered and their location confirmed before any action is taken.

* Discovery and retrieval of explosives

It may be necessary to move rock from the immediate vicinity of the misfire before access to the charge can be gained. The remaining rock next to any misfired charge is likely to be solid and any attempt to remove this can be fraught with danger. Remedial action can only be decided after careful inspection and appraisal of the misfire site.

It may be possible to remove part of a misfired charge by hand from the socket of a hole but this should only be attempted by experienced personnel after due consultation with, and the approval of site management.

Removal of some charge from a hole will allow the introduction of a primer and detonators. Some stemming may then be added to the hole to create additional confinement, before firing.

If a misfired hole contains more than one deck of explosive, it may be necessary to deal with each deck in turn as a separate misfire, with either full retrieval of charges from each deck or re- priming. Sufficient confinement must be provided before refiring each deck.

Explosive which is recovered should be placed in containers for storage or disposal. Detonators should be separated from the explosives and primers carefully and stored separately from explosives. Explosives should be placed in plastic bags and placed in clearly labelled boxes.

The process of searching for explosive material in the heap may involve the use of loading equipment. Note that it is possible to utilise specially protective devices in order to protect the operators during this process.

Material picked up by the bucket should be taken to a leve1 area, carefully deposited on the floor and searched thoroughly. The minimum number of people should be exposed during this process.

Before excavation commences precise instructions should be given to the machine operator as to how to proceed.

This procedure should help minimise the risk of the impact of the bucket or falling rocks detonating unexploded charges. This work must only be done under direct supervision. From the location of misfired material and information from the blast design it may be possible to determine the quantities and types of explosive involved. A search should continue until, as far as possible, all explosive material has been accounted for. Be aware that explosive material may be concealed below the floor where sub-drilling is used.

A more serious situation occurs when explosive material is found when loading out or processing. It must be assumed that some has made its way into the product, stocking area or tip. It may even have been taken off site. An assessment must be made of the dangers and risks likely to be involved should the explosive be inadvertently detonated. Steps must be taken to arrange for the search and inspection of any location where undetonated explosives have found their way. All personnel must be instructed to report the finding of any explosive material to the shotfirer, the face foreman or the manager as soon as possible.

6. MISFIRE INVESTIGATION – After a misfire has occurred it is important that the “lessons learned” are recorded in order to attempt to prevent a repetition of the event.

Reporting is an important part of this procedure and records must be maintained. This is particularly important if it is suspected that all of the misfired material has not been recovered.

Mining companies today are under increasing pressure to boost output from their existing mines and to bring new projects online quickly. Fundamental to the long-term performance of an operation is geologic modelling and mine planning. To maximize mine profitability, planners and schedulers must create mine plans that match the field as accurately as possible. Not surprisingly, this can be a difficult task, and getting it wrong can result in large unforeseen costs and significant lost revenue opportunities.

Geologists and mining engineers must account for a staggering array of variables – geological samples and data from the mine, the production capacity of available equipment, machinery and manpower availability, customer demand and commodity prices, product cost assumptions and the health and safety of workers. Traditionally, the time and resources required to continually collect this data meant that no one could keep pace with the reality of what’s happening at the mine site. Furthermore, the process of developing mine plans may utilize disparate systems, which introduces inefficiencies in the process and more opportunity for error.

Few challenges in mine planning are discussed in the following paragraphs – by employing efficient system / software the shortcoming can be encountered and the planning system can be upgraded.

A. CAPTURING THE TRUE COMPLEXITY OF MINERAL DEPOSITS THAT MATCHES THE FIELD CONDITION:

Geological models generated for initial feasibility studies are often not detailed enough to provide an accurate picture of a mine suitable for creating detailed production plans – and the software used to develop models in a feasibility study may not be suitable for the production environment. Geological models built for feasibility studies can be oversimplified on complex coal and metalliferous ore deposits, particularly when it comes to modelling faults. As a result, coal / mineral production forecasted in mining plans may not be there when operations uncover the area, making it difficult to predict and plan production. To address the variation between planned and actual production, mining organizations need to balance creating a mine model that matches the field as accurately as possible with the available time to stay ahead of operations.

Software/ module used for geological modelling should be capable to integrate with the geological database to streamline the modelling process. It should be able deal with complex geology and visualisation tools should be able to verify and communicate quickly and efficiently such geological complexity, ensuring accurate results.

Illustrating this complexity, a coal miner was typically modelling and mining two coal intervals but exploration drilling revealed an area with eight coal units and the added complexity of a sand channel unit which presented significant ground control risk. Due to this complexity, the area was mined around. As a result of using an efficient software / module, the miner was able to model the geologically complex area, develop multiple mining scenarios and the coal reserves are now part of the mining plan, increasing the available reserves and the life of the mine.

B. UPDATING MINE PLANS WITH NEW DATA FROM THE FIELD:

Mine planning and scheduling has traditionally been such a time-consuming, labour-intensive process that it prohibits the timely generation of new or updated plans as quickly as new data is received. This is compounded by staff turnover and a shortage of skilled mine planners and geologists to execute planning.

An efficient software / module should be able to accelerate the process of geological modelling, mine planning, and mine scheduling by automating and streamlining processes, and should be able to update the plan continually based on changing conditions in the ground or with workforce, plant, or equipment availability. Engineers then have access to the latest and most accurate information from which to develop mining plans. By integrating planning tools with geological modelling, instant access to geological surfaces and intervals for developing mine designs can be obtained.

C. GENERATING ACCURATE PRODUCTION AND BUDGET FORECASTS:

Managing natural variations in an ore body is extremely difficult, often leading to educated guesses and “fudge” factors based on past experience. Process inefficiencies and technology deficiencies delay or prohibit the inclusion of the latest mine data into the geological models and mine plans in time to stay ahead of operations. Mining plans should incorporate the latest available information to increase accuracy in the geological modelling which provides the foundation and assumptions for mine planning. Accurate geological modelling provides for accurate mine planning and scheduling. Accurate mine planning and scheduling reduces planned versus actual production variances, which increases production predictability.

By continually updating plans based on new field data, guesswork can be eliminated. Efficient software system should be able to automate and streamline the processes and also should enable multiple mine plan scenarios to run to select the most optimal plan. Improving the accuracy of production forecasts eliminate surprises, instil confidence that mining plans would be achieved and sales targets could be met and results in greater budget accuracy. Mine plans which can be executed to meet sales targets within the designed budget will ensure that the designed profit is also achieved.

D. CAPITALIZING ON QUICK CHANGING MARKET AND OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS:

Because of the length of time required to perform some of the geological modelling and mine planning tasks, planning frequency may not be keeping pace with the frequency of change. Mine plans and schedules are difficult to adapt to the changing conditions of a company’s resources, such as its people, plant, or equipment. Geologists and engineering staff focus on the mechanics of developing a mine plan rather than operational improvements. As a result, processes tend to be less automated.

Automation and self documenting tools / features should be available with the efficient software system which should facilitate repeatable and auditable mine planning processes.

Additional benefit of the above automation tool in software is less time is spent by technical staff, geologists and engineers in developing a plan, leaving more time available to examine ways to make the operation more efficient, such as optimizing exploration drilling programs, increasing mine reserves by uncovering ways to mine in difficult geological conditions, and applying the skills of geologists and engineers into ensuring efficient execution of the final plans with field operations. This system ultimately improves the overall efficiency of the mine planning process.

E. STREAMLINING THE FLOW OF INFORMATION BETWEEN THE GEOLOGICAL MODELLING, MINE PLANNING AND MINE SCHEDULING PROCESSES:

If mine planning and scheduling is not run from a single integrated system, geological, mine planning and scheduling data must be moved and re-entered, increasing the likelihood of introducing errors and decreasing mine planning turnaround time. By adopting suitable integrated system, reductions of 40-60% in time spent updating long range mine plans may take place.

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The operating cost structures of mining operations globally have increased significantly over past years.

When raw material prices are high it might appear to be an odd time to be thinking about cost reduction, but in fact it is the ideal time. History has shown us is that high prices are inevitably followed by a downturn, so it is better to prepare for this rather than wait. Even if the downturn does not come as soon as expected, mine operators can still boost profitability and efficiency.

Even in efficient mines, significant cost savings can be made, but it requires an integrated approach and a deep understanding of mining operations and behaviours. It is no good making savings in one area if you are adding more cost in another. Cost savings should cascade through the organizational and operational activity and employee behaviour so that savings are realized and sustained. This is the route to significant and bankable savings.

There are a number of areas that are good sources for cost reduction where the root causes of waste in ways not typically considered.

Energy usage and conservation

In operations such as ore drying, where the heavy oil used in the drying furnaces has more than doubled in price, optimizing furnace utilization and ensuring a consistent feed quality to improve fuel efficiency makes very significant savings, especially at times when demand is high.

Operational failings can be a big consumer of electricity but this can be hard to identify, for example overbreaking (in stoping or development) where excess tons need to be cleaned out.

Water control and leaks require pumping to remove water, ineffective pumping can lead to poor working conditions which requires cleaning up and possibly bigger pumps which all consumes more electricity. Compressed air is a big consumer of electricity yet it is widely used for ventilation and cleaning where cheaper alternatives could be used.

When seeking to install an “energy aware” mindset, people typically think of the obvious, switching off or utilizing more energy efficient machines. They fail to consider and establish a more holistic approach of optimizing operations in a way that minimizes the utilization of costly energy resources such as oil and electricity. Establishing a more energy aware mindset underpinned by a detailed energy efficiency framework that encompasses the energy strategy, sources of supply, generation and distribution, organizational awareness and behaviours and energy use, can have a substantial and immediate impact on cost reduction. Failure to utilize an energy efficiency framework can lead to unanticipated costs elsewhere. For example, there is little point in buying fuel in bulk to save money if the cost of extra fuel storage eats up the savings.

Optimization of maintenance practices and management

There are a couple of areas that are usually fruitful in achieving cost reduction. Typically, these are reduction of equipment downtime. For example: reduction of equipment downtime by between 15-25% can increase contractor productivity by 20-30%. It has been observed, at a recent mine project, there was an increase in preventative maintenance of 15% that resulted in a decrease in emergency work orders of around 30% and an unscheduled downtime of 24%.

During a six-month “Mastering Maintenance Together” project a 20% reduction in work activity standards led to higher truck availabilities with front line supervisors able to spend a greater proportion of their day actually supervising work being carried out rather than being diverted to other unscheduled tasks.

Improving logistics and procurement strategies

Some areas where reduction may take place: examples of few real impact include:

• An Australian iron ore mine by properly executing logistic management reduced mine-to-port transport cycle time by 13%; by properly implementing inventory management cut procurement lead time by 35% and by improved scheduling to drastically reduce contractor and management fees.

• A North American iron ore producer reviewed critically its primary ore operations, iron ore processing, product delivery and maintenance and implemented measures to achieve its targeted 6% reduction in operating costs.

• Similarly, by critically reviewing their operation and implementing strict measures, a South American gold operation improved the productivity of its ore trucks by 12% and of the shovels and loaders by nearly 8%.

Installing systems that will manage change quickly and effectively

Having achieved savings, it is vital to maintain them by installing systems that will ensure improvements are both measurable and sustainable.

These are just some of the areas that can yield significant savings. What is critical to maximizing cost savings is a deep understanding of the cascading impact of cost saving measures across the operation as a whole.

CASE STUDIES:

* Increase in mine profits substantially and 30% reduction in costs, by Early “In-Pit” dumping of overburden waste

Detailed mine planning and scheduling can allow a mine to more rapidly achieve a situation where the pit mine can reach final pit depth/limits earlier, and a allow for in pit back filling of waste. This action can massively reduce truck haul distances and therefore costs, for overburden. Also it can reduce amount of area disturbed ex-pit, and lower overall rehabilitation expenses.

For Example, detailed mine planning and scheduling expertise was applied to one recent case study of a major coal mine where current haul distances on average were 1.8km one way to ex-pit waste dumps. This study showed that when in-pit waste dumping could be introduced, truck haul distances could be reduced from 1.8km down to about 0.9km, and save some $0.40 / Bcm. This could reduce the current overburden rate from $1.25 down to $0.85/Bcm (30% reduction). For a mine with a nominal strip ratio of 6.0 Bcm/tonne, producing 10 million tonnes coal per annum, this reflects in significant extra profit.

Extra profit 6.0 bcm/t x 10 mtpa x $0.40 = $ 24 million per year.

* 40% costs reduction by alternative surface mining methods – Direct Dozer Push applications

In the face of significantly decreased coal prices and stiff international competition from Australia and China etc. Indonesia need’s to lift itself up a “quantum step” in becoming more cost competitive, employing mining methods and technology that are to international mining standards and “best practices.”

For certain mine site pit and seam geometries, the application of direct dozer methods can bring about massive cost reductions. These methods are almost standard practice worldwide, and there increased application into the Asian and Indonesian coal industry will become more necessary in order to reduce costs and maintain competitive position.

As an example, typical hydraulic excavator and truck operations in a Indonesian mine cost approximately US$ 1.20/Bcm. A direct dozer push operation can reduce costs to some US$ 0.70 /Bcm (40% reduction). There are some excellent seam conditions in some of Indonesian mines very amenable to direct dozer push methods. Experienced contractors can carry out such operations on a unit basis $ / Bcm.

* Upgrading to larger size mobile mining equipment gives cost savings of 20 – 30%

In the Indonesian and other countries’ coal fields / mines further studies show that when upgrading fleet size from say the current typical standard of excavator and truck fleet from now predominantly a fleet of 13m3 excavators and 85 tonne trucks to double the size with 25m3 excavators and 160 tonne trucks. As a rule of thumb, if the fleet size can be doubled then costs can be reduced by some 30%. For at least overburden operations this should be very feasible, and an obvious step to bring an operation up to world class standards. For a typical large size mine savings could be approximately;

6 bcm/tonne x 10 mtpa x ($1.25/bcm x 30%) = $ 22 million per annum

* 30% to 50% mine cost reductions by replacing long truck hauls with In-Pit Crushing and Overland Conveying Systems

In the face of significantly decreased coal prices and stiff international competition from Australia and China etc. Indonesia must lift itself up a “quantum step” in becoming more cost competitive, employing mining methods and technology that are to international mining standards and “best practices.”

Various systems can be further studied to replace long truck hauls with conveyors. This is a capital intensive approach, but generally gives massive operating cost savings and rapid pay back times, if volumes are large. For example case studies have been conducted at several large size Indonesian mines, which show 30% to 50% cost savings for overburden and coal transportation. Systems are capital intensive, with typical In-Pit crushing and conveying system costing in the range of US$ 30 – 40 million; however payback time is rapid, normally within 2 years.

A significant extra benefit of these systems, is if mine costs can be significantly reduced by several dollars per tonne, then open cut pits can be extended to greater depths, and more reserves recovered, thereby increasing mine life considerably.

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Mining operations require careful planning over multiple time horizons, regular feedback on operational performance, and close interaction between multiple departments. When an efficient and field-proven system is used, there are maximum chances, mines should be able to enhance productivity, safety and equipment availability / utilization that results in overall cost-effectiveness in the operation. Identifying operational problems and solution is the key in the process of optimization of any highly mechanised / high production mining operation – some are discussed below:

A. COMMON OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS – TAKES CARE BY SOPHISTICATED MINING SOFTWARE SYSTEM:

* Truck queuing – Excessive Truck queuing results in decreased productivity and increased fuel consumption. Effective Engineering model provides proven optimization of truck assignments in real time, minimizing truck queuing at loading and dumping locations.

* Shovel / Excavator hang time – Every minuet a shovel or excavator is not loading truck is wasted time and money. Proper mathematical model accounts for number of trucks at each excavator, automatically assigning trucks and reducing hang time.

* Unrealised plant capacity and / or poor blends – Incorrect head-feed grade can result in decreased efficiency of plant equipment and may lead to damage of equipment as well. Effective mathematical system maximises production and at the same time, honouring material blend constraints.

* Inefficient Shift change – Inefficient operator changes keep equipment out of service and sacrifice productivity.

* Unnecessary travel time – Unnecessary travel results in wasted fuel and operator time, while causing needless wear and tear on equipment. By calculating the best path between start and end points and with proper guidance system unnecessary travel time can be eliminated.

* Mining sequence delays – When steps in a mining process occur out of order, operational delays may accumulate. An effective Engineering model proactively manages and schedule equipment and personnel.

* Misdirected loads – Sending ore to waste dump is literally throwing money away. In the similar manner, when waste is dumped in a crusher can cause costly downtime and disrupt blend quality. An effective system continuously reconcile mine material grade.

* Uneven benches – Uneven benches require substantial auxiliary equipment rework to avoid damage to haul equipments. Continuous monitoring of track elevation is required to prevent such damages.

* Improper Blast Design – Blast design must be specific to material hardness to avoid waste of explosives and improper fragmentation. Effective system optimizes blast design. Real time machine guidance ensures operators drill according to plan.

B. COMMON ASSET-HEALTH PROBLEM – EFFECTIVE SYSTEM VERY IMPORTANT TOOL FOR ENHANCEMENT OF COST EFFECTIVENESS & PRODUCTIVITY

* Inefficient handover between Mining and Maintenance Department – Poor communication between teams and shifts can increase unnecessary downtime of equipments. Updating maintenance and operating departments with real-time equipment status ensures that equipment failures are addressed promptly and repaired equipments are quickly returned to service.

* Unscheduled downtime – Unscheduled downtime causes loss of productivity and increases cost. By shifting unscheduled downtime to scheduled downtime, operational impact is minimized and production goals are more likely to be achieved.

* Premature Tyre failure – The failure results in unscheduled downtime, increasing operational cost of tyre replacement as well as loss of productivity during repair. The ability to predict and prevent tyre problems in real time leads to substantial cost saving and improved equipment availability.

* Fuel inefficiency – Fuel costs are one of the highest consumable expenditure at any mine. By proactively improving overall equipment health and by assigning underperforming equipment to a optimum location, fleet fuel efficiency is maximised.

* Decreased suspension life – Rough haulage road takes a toll on suspension system, resulting in excessive downtime and increased maintenance costs. Real-time suspension monitoring provides instantaneous notification of poor road condition, allowing support equipment to be efficiently dispatch for road repair.

* Catastrophic preventable failure – Most major failures can be prevented if minor failures are identified early. Historical analysis of major reveals early indicators that can be used to configure predictive trends for an entire equipment fleet. Once configured, these trends issue alarms that a major failure is imminent, giving maintenance engineers time to plan for maintenance before its too late.

* Improper operation of equipment – Equipment abuse leads to lost productivity and excessive downtime for repairs by identifying specific incidents, operators training opportunities are identified, optimizing productivity and rectifying inappropriate operator actions that lead to equipment failure.

* Repetitive component failure - Repetitive component failures are costly and highly preventable. Calculating downtime by components and addressing those that are high risk, allows for major cost saving opportunities. Eliminating repetitive component failure is a critical step towards Reliability-centered Management (RCM).

* Reduced equipment life-cycle – Sub-optimal maintenance practices ultimately lead to reduced equipment life. Real-time and historical data acquired from the system enable actions that maximize the life of components and equipments resulting in lower cost/tonne.

C. COMMON SAFETY PROBLEMS – MINIMIZES BY THE SYSTEM:

* Inadequate equipment inspection – Loss of mandatory safety inspection records can have serious consequences. An engineering model check list module helps maintain regulatory compliance and coordinate equipment upkeep.

* Operator alertness – Repetitive work coupled with long hours – especially on night shift – can lead to dangerous operator fatigue. Effective system manages their alertness level.

* Excessive speed – Excessive speed not only endangers personnel but causes damage to equipments. Engineering module detects speed violations and issues automated alarm to operator and supervisors, supporting a culture of safe, efficient equipment operation.

* Operator Awareness – Constantly changing mine site condition as well as operator inexperience, lead to misrouted equipment and even accidents. Effective Mining software / Engineering module helps equipment operators navigate to their destination via the fastest route despite inexperience, limited visibility or frequently changing road network.

* Equipment collisions – A collision between equipments can injure operator and seriously impact operation. Using proximity detection software proactively reminds operators to maintain a minimum safe distance.

* Blind spots - One of the biggest challenges faced by large mining equipment operator is poor visibility. On-board camera integration with proper software overcomes blind spots, improve spotting confidence and reduces low speed collision.

* Unknown hazards – Operating around physical hazards such as Misfired blast holes, power lines, steep walls, unstable beams and underground workings can be dangerous for operation. By notifying operators of approaching hazards by applying alarm based on the proximity hazard detection functionality mitigates theses risks.

* Equipment failure – Many equipment failures presents serious safety risks to operators, such as suspension, tyre and braking systems. By proactively identifying impending failures, equipments can be repaired before injury to personnel occurs.

* Prolonged Blast clearing – Clearing an area of light vehicles prior to blasting can cause extensive wait time for personnel and equipments. Software system with road maps allows quickly locating and identifying which light vehicles are in the evacuation zone, enhancing safety and operational delay.

* Unauthorised access to restricted areas – Serious injury can occur when employees, contractors or visitors enter restricted areas. To check the unauthorised access, modern software (Role-based personnel management) can help to a great extent.

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