With its strong focus on keeping workers safe, Epiroc understands that digital solutions can help maintain an efficient, safe and sustainable workplace.
Epiroc encourages a holistic approach to creating digital solutions for health, safety and sustainability in the mining and construction industries.
“With our digital solutions, you can work with mixed fleets, existing equipment, and existing partners to increase to increase health and safety for mine operations mine health, reduce risk and support compliance,” the company said.
Epiroc provides products and services in several key areas as it looks to achieve key areas to support the safest operation a mine could be.
Perhaps one of the most relevant areas beside of health and safety is environmental, social and governance (ESG) regulations and sustainable practices.
Epiroc subsidiary MineRP, which Epiroc acquired in May 2021, said mining companies are often stuck somewhere between making genuine but groundless ESG promises, and creating ambiguous ESG reports after the fact.
By genuinely practising ESG commitments on mine sites, companies are able to demonstrate a higher level of care and consideration to stakeholders in terms of how they have strategised, planned, operated and reported on a project’s progress.
Epiroc, for its part, recognises the renewable energy path the industry is taking and recommends changing to battery-electric vehicles, among other things, to reduce a carbon footprint and emissions.
Utilising batteries and renewables will allow companies to reform their supply chains by choosing to work with environmentally-friendly suppliers, an example of how a company can practise governance and engage closely with stakeholders.
Practising governance in such a way can lead to mining establishments saving time where it is vital, especially in emergencies.
Mobilaris Emergency Support
Epiroc’s Mobilaris Emergency Support portfolio consists of digital solutions to help emergency crew and key personnel deliver guidance in case of an emergency situation in clearing out a site while abiding by company procedures.
“In an emergency that requires evacuation, time is of the essence, so relevant evacuation personnel must have the best tools and processes to ensure staff members are evacuated as quickly as possible, while ensuring safety is not compromised,” Epiroc said.
Epiroc’s Mobilaris Emergency Support application features emergency messaging through various channels so relevant personnel can acknowledge the communication has been received. The company said having the system in place shortens evacuation time by 25–50 per cent.
“People who have received the evacuation information are monitored and individual attention is prioritised based on who needs attention first,” Epiroc said.
Evacuation personnel can customise checklists and an evacuation analysis can be made by using the history viewer.
The control person can choose which assets to search for, view and follow in real-time, which can be utilised to learn traffic patterns and to investigate evacuation events and accidents.
“Onboard, our underground navigation and traffic awareness solution, and our mobile application, Pocket mine, allow operators to navigate to the three closest refuge chambers and by knowing the traffic around you, the solutions contribute to a safer workplace,” Epiroc said.
Mobilaris Situational Awareness
Real-time data is also utilised in Epiroc’s three-dimensional Mobilaris Situational Awareness map, which encourages transparency for control room workers.
Epiroc said site workers having awareness of their surroundings is the first step towards a safer and more productive mining operation.
The Mobilaris Situational Awareness digital solution enables the real-time tracking of people, mobile and fixed assets and vehicles while the status of various operations is monitored within the mine. Information can be searched and a report can be instantly created.
Mobilaris Event Automation
Epiroc has a desire to bring the power of automation to the mine. This is where the Mobilaris Event Automation tool enters the scene. A versatile tool with an easy-to-understand interface, Mobilaris Event Automation can create event triggers based on data produced by Mobilaris or third-party systems.
“The Mobilaris Event Automation system has customised Mobilaris nodes based on inputs such as emergency messages,” Epiroc said.
“Event triggers can highlight asset events in the Mobilaris Situational Awareness map or be pushed to a third-party system.
“Simple dashboards can be built directly in the Mobilaris Event Automation platform, or reports can be emailed at pre-defined intervals, while automation workflows can be created to save time, money and increase safety.
“For example, Mobilaris Event Automation can trigger automatic ramp announcements for vehicles going down and send a message if the maximum amount of people in an area is met or if someone’s tag battery is low.”
Mobilaris Event Automation can also be used to calculate the amount of air needed for ventilation on-demand, count cycle times and volumes for trucks, and notify third-party systems if an emergency evacuation is initiated.
Through its digital safety solutions, Epiroc achieves its three key values, where the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is striving for industry innovation, places an emphasis on collaboration, and is committed to putting safety first.
Epiroc’s digital solutions are built not to be mutually exclusive but to complement each other and third-party solutions, and any business that implements them has the opportunity to progressively improve its practices, regulatory compliance, and ESG performance.
