Given the complexity and uniqueness of underground hard rock mines, application design fire scenario approach is recommended when evaluating safety in mines. Providing a full set scenarios – ensuring that several important life aspects are covered for mine can be challenging. The question whether catalogue potential clusters could developed, covering found underground? general lack research int...

This paper focuses on the issues pertaining to the introduction of mechanization in an underground narrow reef hard rock mine typified by, but not solely restricted to, platinum mining in South Africa. In the context of this paper, mechanization refers to any machine, process or activity that reduces the human effort required to break or move rock or material in a mine. The following mechanizat...

The standard method for determining diesel particulate matter (DPM) exposures in underground metal/ nonmetal mines provides the average exposure concentration for an entire working shift, and several weeks might pass before results are obtained. The main problem with this approach is that it only indicates that an overexposure has occurred rather than providing the ability to prevent an overexp...

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the responses of a prototype smoke detector and a commercially available photoelectric smoke detector to smoke particles generated from various combustion sources. The prototype smoke detector combines optical scattering measurements with ionization chamber measurements in order to reduce/eliminate nuisance alarms due to the presence of airborn...

A priority issue within coal mines is ensuring the safety of underground personnel. It is vitally important to have upto-date information about: which districts personnel are working; if there is adequate provision of safety equipment and facilities, and whether the mine enviroment is hazardous. This paper canvasses recent developments in proximity identification and tracking techologies for mi...

The diesel engine is robust, has a long working life, and is fuel efficient. It has been used widely in ships, railway locomotives, and as a stationary engine to provide power, and there is increasing use worldwide in heavy duty and public transport vehicles and passenger cars. Dieselengined vehicles are widely used in underground mines and it is here that there is the highest human exposure.

Noise in an underground coal mine has dominant components generated mainly from 3 sources: (a) continuous mining machines, (b) roof bolters, and (c) cars/vehicles used to transport personnel and/or coal. Each of these 3 noise sources also has a number of well-defined sub-sources with their own noise characteristics. Sound level meters were used to collect noise data in the form of instantaneous...

The location of people, mobile terminals and equipment is highly desirable for operational enhancements in the mining industry. In an indoor environment such as a mine, the multipath caused by reflection, diffraction and diffusion on the rough sidewall surfaces are the main sources of range measurement errors. In this paper, a UWB time of flight based localization system is proposed to address ...

A real-time Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) monitor has been developed on the basis of the successful National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) designed Personal Dust Monitor (PDM) unit. The objectives of a recently completed Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) study were to modify the PDM to measure the submicrometre fraction of the aerosol in a real-time mo...

For underground mining operations human operated LHD vehicles are typically used for transporting ore. Because of security issues and of the cost of human operators, alternative solutions such as tele-operated vehicles are often in use. Tele-operation, however, leads to reduced efficiency, and it is not an ideal solution. Full automation of the LHD vehicles is a challenging task, which is expec...