“This is probably one of the biggest safety advances…how big it is really won’t be realised for a while,” he said of the system, the second approved innovation of its type in the industry.
The agency worked in tandem with Vancouver-based Nautilus International to test and develop the system. The system was demonstrated to industry on August 16 in Shinnston, West Virginia.
The advancement of the new system was the result of cooperation from all sides of industry and four years of hard work. MSHA, who originally began examining proximity protection systems in 2002, made the connection with Nautilus International to further its development.
Partners Repair King and Massey Energy would later join the effort, with the former allowing its site to be used for testing and design adjustments and the latter inviting field testing at its Rockhouse Energy operation. Through the process, Joy Mining was another cooperating partner; its 12CM was used for both development and field testing.
Skiles said that, though the design and use is easy to understand, the road to get to this point was not. Signal problems arose as a major challenge in the development, but now the finished product is made up of components that are all either permissible or intrinsically safe.
Three items made up the proximity protection system: the belt pack (worn by the worker) that tracks the location and movements near the machine, a single antenna which uses electromagnetism and is secured to the machine, and the processor and warning light – the heart of the system.
When in use, the system works in two steps, Skiles said. When a worker enters the “danger zone”, an initial warning light is engaged. If the person does not immediately exit that zone or if he gets any closer, the machine will automatically shut itself off.
Skiles said the machine can easily be turned back on, albeit manually, once the hazard potential has been rectified; and the system can be disabled during cutting and loading when operators must be close to the unit.
He also noted that the system is adjustable to operations’ needs and the area in which they are working. “You can adjust how far you want to send [the recognition field] or what the perimeter is…to be.”
Though the system was MSHA approved in July of this year, Skiles said the demonstration for operators and other industry representatives was needed to allow the opportunity to see it in action. The interest and feedback was positive, he said, and one large eastern US operator placed an order after witnessing its potential to save lives.
Another important factor for holding last week’s demonstration, he said, was to illustrate not only its financial efficiency but also as an improvement for mines that won’t hinder production levels. “We wanted them (guests) to see it will not hinder productivity and is not cost prohibitive.”
Skiles calls the introduction of the Nautilus system the next milestone for the mining industry since the advent of remote controlled equipment. MSHA acting administrator David Dye concurred in the agency’s announcement of its approval last week: “The very existence of this system demonstrated what can be achieved when different segments of the mining industry – the mining community -- come together as partners to advance safety and health in our nation’s mines.”
