\nBetter data are not only expected to show safer and more efficient ways to blast or drill but also to assess any condition that might inhibit workers\u2019 ability to make sound decisions<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n
According to the experts, mining companies are likely to continue investing in the deliberate deployment of technology and mine design to get the worker out of harm\u2019s way. This means putting fewer workers underground and bringing in autonomous systems that have user interfaces that appeal to a younger generation. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re going to see a situation where a worker will go from sitting on one piece of equipment to supervising a handful of pieces of equipment all autonomously being tasked to do various things,\u201d Downs said.<\/p>\n
The new technology is also expected to capture better quality data which, in turn, should be used to drive better technical and strategic decisions. And these data are not only expected to show safer and more efficient ways to blast or drill but also to assess depression, fatigue, and anything that might inhibit workers\u2019 ability to make sound decisions, particularly those that do need to get put into environments with a high degree of risk.<\/p>\n
In the view of the presenters, assessing workers\u2019 conditions should extend to what takes place once they leave the mine site, particularly when it comes to those working late hours. Previous experiences have shown that many of the safety-related injuries and issues, such as car accidents, happen off-site.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Simulators and drones<\/strong><\/p>\nThe panellists brought to the table a recent trend that involves the use of equipment simulators for people that are learning how to operate specific equipment. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a safety perspective, what I find fascinating is where they\u2019re going, where they can essentially equip a sensor to gather data of the actual operator on the actual piece of equipment, gathering a series of data points on the operational effectiveness of that worker operating the equipment in an underground environment and then that data is fed back automatically to the simulator to customize a training program dealing with the problem areas that actual worker is dealing with in the field,\u201d EY\u2019s Yameogo said.<\/p>\n
For Yameogo, these training mechanisms are likely to improve not only safety but also productivity. \u201cBecause underground not every situation will have an infrastructure to support digital. That\u2019s often a problem in older mines. One of the major changes of the underground environment in the future is this ability of self-driven robotics, tools, and items, that do not require the mining company to make extensive changes to their infrastructure to have work.\u201d<\/p>\n
But changes, whether big or small, are already taking place either during the mine design phase or afterwards, as many sites have already started operating on WiFi, LTE, and 5G.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe LTE network has really become the lifeline for us to do a whole range of different things underground, whether it\u2019s enabling that autonomous or semi-autonomous equipment or enabling smart IoT sensors or whether it\u2019s around worker and equipment tracking so that we know where they are if we need to evacuate a part of the mine we know who we need to go and look for,\u201d\u00a0 Vale\u2019s Downs said.<\/p>\n\n