With a proven technology under its belt and a new launch taking hold, Strata Worldwide is determined to become a final word in mine safety.
A recent report from the Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association anticipates an additional 26,810 workers will be needed by 2029 if the mining industry is to keep up with new projects as they emerge.
More workers on more mine sites means more people are at risk of injury and harm by operating in close proximity to major machinery and equipment.
Operators need reliable collision avoidance strategies if they are to keep the ever-growing number of miners safe on the job.
Strata Worldwide has been rising to meet this challenge for over three decades.
The company’s HazardAVERT system is designed to keep workers out of harm’s way by alerting them to approaching machine-to-machine or machine-to-person collisions. When a small receiver device worn by a worker or attached to machinery detects an electromagnetic field around machinery, it immediately communicates the potential danger to the wearer and operator.
HazardAVERT is in widespread use in South Africa and the US, with more than 2000 vehicles and 40,000 miners protected daily. In Australia, large-scale deployment of HazardAVERT is currently underway at mines like BHP’s Olympic Dam in South Australia and Coronado Coal’s Mammoth underground mine in Queensland.
On the level
The Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table’s (EMESRT) has defined a range of collision avoidance levels from one through to nine, each of which indicate a certain level of system capability.
Strata managing director Tony Napier told Safe to Work that HazardAVERT is popular with mines thanks to its level nine machine intervention control capability.
While HazardAVERT’s alerting system falls under level seven, a level nine control means the technology is also able to slow or bring a machine to a complete stop based on personnel or machinery detection.
“Strata has taken our expertise with level nine control to our HazardAVERT system and now we’re one of the only ones really doing level nine with AI [artificial intelligence] systems,” Napier said.
“The experience we’ve gained from level nine in mining is now allowing us to provide this capability in other industries including construction.”
HazardAVERT has been successfully deployed throughout Australia for more than a decade, bolstered by Strata’s continued research and development (R&D) to make it even more effective.
“We continue to enhance it, and it’s certainly moving ahead in leaps and bounds,” Napier said. “We’re seeing improvements on a monthly or even weekly basis.
“There’s many different technologies out there, but what we offer is one that is proven to do the job.”
Strata’s latest collision avoidance technology, HazardAI, offers EMESRT level seven and level nine protection, but the video-based HazardAI doesn’t require wearables. Rather, it uses stereoscopic 3D cameras attached to machinery that differentiate between people, machines and obstacles.
HazardAI uses advanced algorithms to analyse collision potential and records and collates data mine operators can then use to address ongoing areas of concern.
“HazardAI can detect people and machines up to 40m away extremely accurately,” Napier said. “We model algorithms based on the environment they’re going to be used in, adding another layer of precision and protection.”
As with HazardAVERT, Strata is dedicated to continually improving HazardAI, with a team of engineers in Australia and the US working to reach the next safety zenith.
“These solutions are industry mainstays,” Napier said. “Whether it’s HazardAVERT, HazardAI or another of our technologies, we’re committed to bringing the latest innovations to the mining industry.”
This feature also appears in the November-December issue of Safe to Work.