Tsgawe lama Tshawe
Against a background of what the Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA) has described as the local mining pulling all the stops to close any gaps in mine safety, MCSA has lauded the introduction of latest technologies to modernise the industry – making it safer, healthier and efficient.
This, as the opencast Phalandwa Colliery in Mpumalanga has become Africa’s first 5G-enabled mine – made possible by a partnership with Huawei and mobile operator MTN.
According to MCSA spokesperson Allan Seccombe, latest provisional statistics available to the council, indicated that by end of last month, mine fatalities stood at 22 compared to 23 in the same period last year.
“The mining industry is actively involved in research, development and innovation to modernise mining – making it safer, healthier and more accessible to a broader group of employees.
The Phalandwa 5G enabler, which has improved safety and efficiency, has come amid what Seccombe said was “another innovation at another mine – a new hydraulic drill that is ergonomic, efficient and light enough for women to use and to be employed as rock drill operators, being tested”.
He said mining companies were using “sophisticated digital programmes to analyse behaviour, accidents and incidents – ensuring these are not repeated”.
“In all, the interventions, driven from CEO level down into companies – are yielding results.
“We and our members, work closely with the chief inspector of mines, David Msiza and his team; and organised labour, to achieve our universal goal of zero harm.
“Mining companies last year achieved their lowest number of fatalities – resulting from falls of ground.
“Six fatalities related to falls of ground last year, represented a 73% reduction from the 22 the previous year.
“Part of the reduction, was due to the adoption of leading industry practices to install netting over working areas, improved illumination in the workplace, better drilling and bolting practices,” said Seccombe.
The Phalandwa collaboration has seen Huawei and MTN provide an advanced 5G solution – ensuring guaranteed connectivity within the mine and plant area.
The mine is taking the lead in combining digital applications with 5G, achieving the first trial use of 5G applications of mining solutions in South Africa, with ultra-high bandwidth and ultra-low latency of 5G, allowing real-time communication among the workers.
Deployment of more applications has yielded benefits for the mine, which have included proximity detection system (PDS), vehicle detection, tracking and wireless video surveillance
The systems have reduced the occurrence of accidents – protecting workers from being harmed by trucks, making monitoring and status of vehicles easier.
Reflecting on the latest technology during an interview, said Phalandwa GM Kgotso Mongalo: “The technology has assisted us a lot, because we have seen a big reduction in accidents when it comes to detection.