Newtrax Blog How to Maximize the Effectiveness of Collision Avoidance Systems

Heavy traffic, large equipment, poor visibility, and blind spots all create the potential for accidents in an industry that demands world-class operational performance and has the expectation of zero harm. Inspired by the EMESRT and ICMM Vehicle Intervention Roadmap, Newtrax is taking the lead in collision avoidance, driving toward CAS L9 which will virtually eliminate vehicle-to-personnel fatalities. In order for these systems to be effective without disrupting a mine's operations and productivity, there are important aspects to keep in mind.The four tenets to an effective collision avoidance system Systems must be peer-to-peer and continue to operate even without a functioning network throughout a mine. They must be mixed-fleet compatible meaning the system works with all equipment present in the mine. They must both measure position accurately and must consider the situational context. Positioning data provides information about objects and how fast they are moving but does not tell you what gear they are in, how much payload they are carrying, if the brakes are already overheated, or if they are going uphill or downhill. These are all telemetry factors that might impact stopping distance and will be challenging for some systems. They must be must have redundancy built in to ensure that equipment functions even if one antenna or one cable is broken and must be easy to maintain. Lessons learned from early CAS implementationsCollision Avoidance Systems should be implemented into the overall digitalization of the mine (a holistic approach) Location-based Safety analytics are key Having a good understanding of traffic management and for the system to work peer-to-peer. The major key factor to keep in mind when implementing CAS is the analytics part; you can't manage what you're not monitoring, Everything in the mine that moves such as the machinery, the traffic, and the people, should be monitored. As such, Collision Avoidance systems need to be implemented into the overall digitalization of the mine in holistic approach. Collecting and storing of contextualized data related to the potential incidents detected by the system and storing them into the IoT Hub is what really drives the value of such systems. Especially when the software uses AI and ML (Machine Learning) to eliminate superfluous data and really zero-in on what matters. Location-based safety analytics is key to implementing a safe system and a system that doesn't decrease the production. Having a holistic approach to collision avoidance systems will allow for success. Of course, every mine has a different machine tracking system, different software platforms or even a different digitalization journey. The benefit of Collision Avoidance Systems is that they are uninterruptible, and the data can be saved to any type of platform. Additionally, traffic management and organizing where people are in regards to machines is also very important. It helps clear up areas with lots of traffic so there is less slowdown of machines, an increase in traffic flow and an increase in ore flow. Implementing CAS in underground mines is, to this day, still a complex and difficult feat. Why, you ask? Currently Proximity Detection and Collision Avoidance technologies are divided into three different levels, which were determined by the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT), a global initiative involving major mining companies which was established in 2006. Since its formation, EMESRT has established nine levels of Incident Preventative Controls, but it is levels 7 (Operator Awareness), 8 (Advisory Controls) and 9 (Intervention Controls) that are the most relevant. Level 7 provides a form of situational awareness that helps machine operators see their entire surroundings while operating; Level 8 provides operators with audible and visual alarms to alert them to potential dangers; and Level 9 is a system that is able to detect potential hazards, provides warning, and as a last resort can take action to prevent a collision. There are several Level 7 systems on the market, fewer Level 8 and no true Level 9 systems currently available. There are a few reasons we could explore about why Level 9 hasn't been successfully achieved yet, but the top three challenges can be summarized by: Change Management Location Awareness Communication