Safety equipment manufacturer Booyco Electronics has begun testing its collision prevention system at coal operations in South Africa in an attempt to reduce vehicular accidents in mines
The company’s new CWS 900 collision intervention system has been equipped to employ a two-way detection technology to issue alerts to both vehicles and pedestrians when they come in close proximity of each other.
The system consists of components attached to the mine lamps of workers and vehicles operating in underground mining environments. The miner’s headlamps have been fitted with low-frequency receiver modules, while a separate device has been attached to vehicles to generate a magnetic field of varying scope which triggers the receiver modules.
The receiver will respond to the presence of the magnetic field by issuing an audible and visual alarm to warn miners on foot when they come in close proximity to approaching vehicles or moving equipment.
The magnetic field can be adjusted to the specific dimensions required by mining operations and has a maximum radius of 15 metres.
The technology can also be connected to the braking systems of mining vehicles, bringing them to a sudden halt in the presence of mining workers on foot.
The CWS 900 system’s development was prompted by the introduction of more stringent occupational health and safety measures by the South African Chamber of Mines following an increased incidence of vehicle accidents in mining work environments.
