Benefits of collision avoidance technologies

But there are a range of technologies available to improve vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-person collisions, which could minimise such tragic events.
Dr Patrick Glynn, research engineer with the CSIRO’s Earth Science & Research Engineering, spoke to the IIR conference team, who are currently organising Australia’s first event to focus solely on collision avoidance in the resources sector.

IIR: How are collision incidents currently being managed by mines?
PG: A mixture of soft barriers (driver procedures to keep vehicles apart) and technology mostly reversing video cameras with some mines opting for four cameras for near front, back and two sides.

IIR: What collision avoidance systems (CAS) are currently being used to combat the issue and what future technologies are likely to be employed?
PG: Most dispatcher software systems for open cut mines have a facility to use GPS for truck location and using the dispatcher program to maintain safe distance between trucks, light vehicles and other mine vehicles, also radio communications. There will also be increasing use of RFID tagging of vehicles and a smaller number of radar systems.

IIR: What are your thoughts on Stewart Bell’s (executive director safety & health, Dept of Mines & Energy) recent comments on mandating CAS technology, and how do you think it will impact on the wider mining community including state regulators?
PG: As this issue has the potential to limit mine production in my opinion the mining industry has been slow to implement collision avoidance technology, there is anecdotal evidence that the death rate caused by haul trucks could be as high as one in a thousand (death rate from traffic accidents in the UK are currently one in ten thousand and a safe industry is considered to be one in one hundred thousand). I am with Stewart Bell on this as mandating collision avoidance technology will help the mining industry to develop the best technology for the individual mine needs.

IIR: What do you hope events like the upcoming Collision Avoidance Conference will achieve for the industry?
PG: I believe these events keep the mining industry up to date with collision avoidance technology and current industry directions with general safety issues and prospective solutions. I’ll be speaking on the clinical aspects of human limitations in controlling vehicles, and relevant technological solutions to overcome these limitations.

New online tool aims to reduce collision incidents
Queensland is developing a new mine safety tool that could help reduce the number of collision incidents involving heavy earthmoving equipment in open-cut mining, quarrying and underground mining operations.
Commissioner for Mine Safety and Health, Stewart Bell, said a new research project would establish a comprehensive, online, searchable database of publicly available vehicle collision incidents in the mining industry from which hazard checklists can be printed.
“This information will help equipment operators, equipment manufacturers and mine operators better assess the risk factors associated with vehicles on site and so fine-tune their risk management,” Bell said.
The ‘COLLISIONgate’ project is being developed jointly by Dr Gul Kizil, senior research officer from the University of Queensland’s Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre, and senior inspector Tilman Rasche, from Mines and Energy Safety and Health, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI).
With just ‘three mouse clicks’ on the COLLISIONgate system, users can find the major risk factors for particular equipment or situation, the causes of these factors and why specific accidents occurred.
They can then print out reports, graphs, images and checklists on how to minimise these risks and help improve safety at their work site.
Bell said the availability of such an easy-to-use system was a logical step in the Queensland mining industry’s pursuit of zero harm in the workplace.
“The trucks, dozers and graders used in today’s modern open-cut mining industry are bigger, more powerful and faster, and more of them are being used,” he said.
“This can increase the risk of collision incidents and accidents between machinery, and between machinery and workers.
“With a research grant of about $100,000 from the Australian Coal Association Research Program and industry, COLLISIONgate is designed to help minimise that risk by providing user friendly information that can be used to design safer work situations and improved safety systems.
“Over the last 10 years in Australia’s mining, exploration and extractive industries, vehicle collision incidents and accidents caused 31 deaths or 28 per cent of all fatalities, and the whole industry wants to reduce that figure,” said Bell.
In Queensland’s mining, exploration and extractive industries, six of the 17 fatalities in the past six years involved incidents related to interactions with vehicles.
He said COLLISIONgate will provide the Australian and international mining industry with a unique, up-to-date information resource on vehicle collisions, their causes and recommendations for the prevention of such incidents.
These could include safer work practices, changes in design of vehicles and advancements in early warning, and collision avoidance and proximity detection technologies.
COLLISIONgate will follow two similar risk management decision support tools funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program and designed and built by Dr Kizil and Rasche from DEEDI.
For more information visit: www.dme.qld.gov.au