Nerospec OSCON’s range of specialist controllers offer Trackless Mining Machines (TMM) a universal interface when integrated with a third-party Proximity Detection System (PDS) or Collision Warning System (CWS) as it is sometimes referred to. It delivers industry-standard EMESRT – Level 9 (Intervention Controls) to any mine operation, any machine OEM, any machine make, any machine model, any machine type, and any machine age and remains the first 100% agnostic fleetwide vehicle interface controller. These intelligent machine controllers also offer class-leading data logging capabilities for valuable insights into machine health, maintenance schedules, productivity analytics and real-time monitoring. Since 2015, Nerospec OSCON has worked with over 45 different machine OEM’s, 150 different machine models and over 5000 successful machine installations.
Currently, mining companies are focused on capitalising on increased revenue from high commodity prices. But there is always a concern that, as they increase productivity in the hot pursuit of that objective, unwittingly, they may focus to a lesser extent on the attendant increase in safety risks that their employees are exposed to.
Biggest safety concerns
One of the biggest safety concerns in mining is the possibility of the escalating risk of trackless mobile machine (TMM) related fatalities. Although, year on year the Mineral Council has reported lower TMM-related fatalities overall. This decrease in TMM fatalities may be attributed to greater safety awareness programs, as well as the rapidly increasing adoption of technologies such as Level 9 CRAWL and STOP Intervention Controls, and of late, the international arena has begun to see the adoption of this technology with Nerospec OSCON rolling out this technology in no less than four other continents in the last 6 months!
Noting the industry’s need for safer mining environments, the team at Nerospec OSCON leads the way in driving the adoption by mining houses for the rolling out of reliable, vehicle intervention control technologies to mitigate this. The Group has twenty-one years of engineering experience in helping organisations in diverse sectors to reduce machine fatalities to zero.
Specifically, Nerospec OSCON tirelessly assists mining companies to deploy robust, fail-safe vehicle intervention control (VIC) solutions aiding Level 9 CRAWL and STOP collision avoidance capabilities as it is known in Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT) parlance.
Typically, EMESRT Level 9 Intervention Control standards must intervene, through automated & Fail to Safe machine control, preventing unsafe Vehicle to Vehicle and Vehicle to Person interactions. Proximity detection technologies alert operators to avoid any possible collisions, and if not acted upon by the operator, the Nerospec OSCON intervention control technology will intervene and safely bring the machine to a CRAWL or safe STOP without operator input, mitigating fatalities in the process. Nerospec OSCON through its intelligent reporting platform has recorded year to date, an average intervention count of roughly 600+ Level 9 Stop events per week across their customers’ fleets in 2022, also noting a motivating drop of roughly 21%, year on year from 2021. Showing the technologies adoption and behavioural that are being realised.
EMESRT Level 9 Intervention Control a necessity
There is no question that Nerospec OSCON’s Vehicle Intervention Control (VIC) Level 9 CRAWL and STOP solutions are a necessity for TMM equipment, not least in the present environment where the drive for Zero Harm is greater than ever before.
In any mining environment, as long as there is activity, the risk of collisions between Trackless Mobile Machines (TMMs), as well as between pedestrians and TMMs is always prevalent. Annually, roughly 30 to 40% of industry deaths are attributed to the lack of vehicle interaction controls. Worryingly, about half of these involve pedestrians, mostly in underground operations.
Hence, given the risk of vehicle collisions and their impact on mining operations, there are strong grounds for the adoption of Level 9 CRAWL and STOP Intervention Controls. Where safety matters are concerned, it is always important to utilise tried and tested technologies.
Fortunately for the Industry, Companies such as Nerospec OSCON have successfully demonstrated that it can deliver effective Level 9 Intervention Controls in any operation.
Nerospec OSCON range of fit for purpose HUB controllers
Nerospec OSCON’s range of controllers (microHUB, neroHUB & cyberHUB) is a true CRAWL and STOP universal interface for Trackless Mining Machines (TMM) and Proximity Detection Sensing Systems. It was specifically designed and developed to deliver Vehicle Intervention Controls to any mine operation, any machine OEM, any machine make, any machine model, any machine type, and any machine age. Its intelligent machine control and data logging interface with machinery provides further Asset Health and Maintenance Data, Real-Time monitoring as well as Productivity Analytics, taking the range of HUB controllers’ abilities pass that of just Level 9 Crawl and Stop Intervention Controls.
One of the features of the range of HUB controller’s is their ability to be fitted to intelligent, and non-intelligent machines which allow mines to achieve Level 9 controls fleet-wide, and not only on their intelligent machines. This saves the mine costs whilst at the same time giving them the peace of mind that the safety benefits are mine-wide, and not only in high production or development areas where the majority of intelligent machines operate. Roughly two-thirds of machines operational in underground mines in South Africa are non-intelligent and require a robust third-party vehicle interface controller such as the Nerospec OSCON range of HUB controllers to achieve Level 9 Crawl and Stop Intervention Controls.
Nerospec OSCON HUB controllers, the industry-leading Proximity Detection Interface (PDI) as it is known in South Africa, in addition to the Level 9 requirements, offer Speed Brake Interlock (SBI). This is an important assist technology that monitors and maintains the speed of a TMM, limiting speed or slowing TMM’s down to avoid overspeeding. Effectively, this controller HUB’s also helps a mining company prevent any safety incidents such as loss of control or runaways on a decline.
Over 5,000 installations and counting
Over the last years, Nerospec OSCON has successfully implemented loggers and controllers from our HUB range at many South-African mines resulting in a steep decline in powered mobile equipment accidents. Thus far, Nerospec OSCON has some 5,000 HUB installations on over 45 different OEM’s mobile equipment on over 150 different machine types. The team at Nerospec OSCON are keen to replicate this success with new clientele in the African mining sector.
Side Bar
The Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT)
The Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT) was established as a global effort comprising the mining industry’s largest businesses. EMESRT has collaborated with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to increase the operability and maintainability of equipment beyond OEM specifications.
EMESRT has undertaken a mission to produce a standard that must be satisfied by proximity detection systems (PDS) as a result of the worldwide mining community’s collective efforts. ISO 21815 is a standard for interoperability between third-party PDS providers, original technology manufacturer (OTM) Providers for Vehicle Intervention Control (VIC) such as Nerospec and machine OEM-supplied equipment that provides a framework for the deployment of collision avoidance controls in mixed equipment fleets.
