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SAFETY
phosphorescent cover that makes it easi- er to locate in the dark, and the use of big buttons that can be operated even when the holder is wearing work gloves. Meanwhile, the MotionAlert feature is designed to react in the event that the user becomes incapacitated ('man down'), and sounds an alarm after 30 seconds without movement, something that could be vital when working in con- fined spaces, the company suggests. InstantAlert, on the other hand, involves the user pressing a button on the instru- ment to alert other people nearby to a sudden hazard. MSA's gas-detector range also in- cludes the Solaris model, which weighs under 225 g (8 oz) and measures just 115×64×32 mm (4½×2½×1¼ in.). This is also available in one-, two-, three- and four-gas configurations for
O2, H2S, CO and combustible gas, and has three alarm systems built in: visual (flashing LEDs), audible (a 100 dB-plus horn) and vibrating. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a duration of more than 14 hours, while an alkaline battery-powered version is also avail- able. The instrument is protected by a
"Providing refuges...is just one aspect of evolving safety practice. There is also an increasing reliance on individuals being able to monitor the air around them."
rubberized armored case, and has an optional powered sampling-pump probe that can be used for remote sampling up to 15 m (50 ft) from the user.
As Safe as Can Be
It is an unfortunate truth that mining will never be injury- or fatality-free, no matter how much effort is put into improving safety. On the other hand, adopting a fatalistic viewpoint provides no solutions either, and there is an industry-wide responsibility to continue reducing the risk even further.
As this article has shown, major progress has been achieved in making gas monitoring more accessible to the individual, and in providing secure re- fuges for people in the event that some- thing goes badly wrong. Here, however, no less than with other technologies used in mining, it is not just a case of relying
on each person to make the right deci- sions, and to take the right action, should they be confronted with a hazardous sit- uation. People need to be trained what to do in an emergency, and that training kept up to date, if the systems that are provided are to be fully effective. Fear and panic can be overwhelming when someone is faced with conditions that are beyond their personal control. Confusion and disorientation mean that actions that are normally simple to per- form can quickly become impossible. As MineARC notes in its early-2012 newsletter, it is now working on a new virtual reality training program that is designed to simulate potential emer- gency situations. This allows people to learn how to operate its hard-rock refuge systems in a risk-free environ- ment, before even entering the mine, the company says.
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FEBRUARY 2012 • E&MJ; 47
