The US Mine Safety and Health Administration recently gave the go-ahead for Intrinsic Safety (IS) to the unit, which is used with the company’s Miner and Equipment Tracking System (METS) in underground coal mines.

“The approval of the 2WC-T wireless text pager provides underground mine operators with a simple, affordable and practical option for fulfilling MSHA communications requirements on the sections and in the escapeways,” Matrix president Aric Pryor said.

Pryor outlined the details of the communicator, which features a mine-duty case, a full QWERTY keyboard, and can transmit and receive text messages using Matrix’s METS wired or wireless nodes.

The device can run for an average of six months on four AA alkaline batteries.

On the back of rising demand for installations in West Virginia, Matrix plans to open a new office in Wheeling.

The new facility will provide more local support to operators and distributors, including engineering and automation support.

In May, Matrix recently received federal approval for the wireless node and atmospheric monitoring components of the METS 2.1 system.

The METS system has been in use since 2006 for worker and equipment tracking underground across the US.

More than 5000 METS tracking tags are in daily use.

In late February Matrix received IS approval for one of its other devices, the Matrix Miner Monitor proximity detection system.

The system, intended for use on continuous miners, has been approved for use in all United States underground coal operations for the prevention of “red zone” injuries and fatalities.