Installation costs and labour on a HazardAlarm are comparable with a camera system, with the set-up able to be done at the surface or underground, Strata Worldwide president Mike Berube said.

“HazardAlarm is a perfectly tailored product to meet the West Virginia proximity rule,” he said.

“Unlike cameras, HazardAlarm alerts both the operator and the miner in all situations, whether the miner is around a crosscut or behind a ventilation curtain.

“HazardAlarm alerts every individual involved and will work seamlessly with a continuous miner equipped with HazardAvert.”

The new HazardAlarm is a single-generator system that creates a large electromagnetic field around a machine, but will only trigger when there is a potential collision between a miner and the machine.

When a miner is in the electrometric field of the machine but there is no potential for a collision, the HazardAlarm system will not sound.

HazardAlarm utilises the same miner-worn personal alarm device (PAD) as the HazardAvert system. It emits an audible and visual alarm when a miner is in a potential collision path with an oncoming piece of mobile machinery.

If an alarm is triggered, both the miner and the vehicle operator have the opportunity to react.

Strata Worldwide’s detection systems are used in underground and surface mines around the world.