Following the promulgation of the Mine Health and Safety regulation on trackless mobile machinery, which came into effect in December 2022, mining houses have actively been seeking service providers to help them align with the requirements. The regulation looks to prevent collisions involving diesel-powered trackless mobile machinery and thereby reduce fatalities and related injuries in the sector. By Nelendhre Moodley.
A decade ago, mining fatalities stood at a staggering 270 deaths per annum. Today, with the sector’s firm focus on reducing mining fatalities by 20% per annum, the industry has succeeded in dramatically lowering lost time injury rates (LTIR) and fatality rates.
Although the mining industry’s safety performance deteriorated in 2021, with the number of fatalities and injuries increasing from 60 in 2020 to 74 in 2021 – and injuries increasing by 11% – from 1 814 in 2020 to 2 014, last year, the sector recorded 49 fatalities.
According to Booyco Electronics CEO, Anton Lourens, South Africa’s mining industry is one of the world’s most proactive when it comes to driving the agenda towards zero harm.
He explains that the South African mining industry has long been implementing technologies, adopting innovative products and undertaking key training initiatives in an attempt to achieve behavioural changes.
Following the promulgation of the recent regulation, the South African-based original equipment manufacturer of mine safety equipment has been inundated with requests for the implementation of its Proximity Detection Systems (PDS) and Collision Prevention Systems (CPS), which offer vehicle-to-pedestrian and vehicle-to-vehicle detection.
“With mine safety legislation getting progressively tighter we continue to ensure compliance with our South African proximity detection and collision prevention systems. We are geared to meet Level 7, Level 8 and Level 9 requirements,” explains Lourens.
Since 2015, the Minerals Council South Africa has undertaken intense discussions, tabled scenarios and provided guidelines based on research to motivate for the adoption of the regulation.
Lourens explains that the industry body also flagged three key concerns that emanated from the think tank, including the question of service providers’ ability to supply equipment given the global supply chain challenges, and concerns around equipment installation and equipment maintenance.
“What is evident is that some mining houses are keen to implement PDS related technology and envisage taking ownership of the product workings and maintenance, which means relevant mining personnel will have to be properly trained to carry out the associated tasks.”
As such, clients are looking to Booyco Electronics for training and support on its product range, which means the company is set to expand its workforce exponentially.
In fact, the East Rand-based technology expert expects to double the number of field service employees, from its 2022 headcount, in the next 12 months. The company is gearing up to train tradesmen on its product range and equip them with the necessary skills-set so they are proficient in product installation and maintenance. As part of its CSI programme Booyco Electronics will source workers from its local community.
The road to product adoption
According to Lourens, South Africa is the first country in the world to regulate the deployment of PDS in mining, with the result that the industry has seen a sharp uptake of the technology across all mining houses.
“We are also experiencing engagement from the international mining community, including enquiries around PDS technology and lessons learnt locally. Interestingly, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), is already promoting the adoption of the PDS and has established formal task teams dedicated to PDS related research as it drives the adoption of advanced technology for mines.”
The ICMM is a leadership organisation working for a safe, sustainable world and is focused on responsibly produced minerals and metals.
Given that international miners operating in Africa rely heavily on South Africa for their mining skills set, the uptake of the Booyco PDS and CPS continues to gain traction as South African mining personnel are familiar with Booyco Electronics’ product range.
“There are numerous projects in Africa run by South Africans who already have a relationship with Booyco Electronics or, at the very least, have knowledge of our product line and are eager to deploy the technology. Moreover, we are finding that global mining houses that have seen PDS adopted at neighbouring mines, are keen to adopt our technology, given its rave reviews.”
Established in 2006, Booyco Electronics has been in business for over 17 years and has garnered a vast number of clients. The product manufacturer is already on its fourth iteration of product evolution and deployment.
“In addition to several enquiries from new clients, some of our very first clients, who acquired products more than a decade ago, are reaching out for installation of the latest generation of equipment as they wish to comply with the regulation on trackless mobile machinery.”
Ensuring fit-for-purpose equipment
Given that the acquisition of PDS is a highly capital-intensive purchase and a long-term commitment, Lourens advises that clients have a proper understanding of their product needs as aligned to the specific mining requirements.
“It is imperative for clients to understand the capabilities of each technology and which technology is most suited to their operational needs. Mining operations, including coal mines, surface mines, underground and the hard-rock narrow reef mining environments, have different PDS requirements. Currently there are four or so key technology offerings in the PDS market and we often find that clients purchase equipment that is not necessarily best suited to their specific applications. At Booyco Electronics, we partner with our clients to help them define their product needs so they purchase the product most suitable to their operational requirements.”
Lourens adds that owing to robust demand for people and vehicle tracking systems, there has been a rapid rise in the number of product suppliers entering the market space.
Booyco Electronics, which has invested millions of rands refining its technology and today has PDS suitable for “every single mining operation”, remains unfazed, and says that as a long-standing technology specialist to key mines in Africa, it has a definite advantage as an industry leader.
“Where our peers specialise in technology for specific operations, Booyco Electronics has, over the years, developed a suite of PDS products to meet various operational needs.”
While the technology is an essential tool in helping save lives, Lourens cautions that PDS are not a quick fix or a silver bullet that automatically improve safety at mines.
“PDS and CPS require buy-in from key stakeholders who must be willing to make the necessary behavioural changes and focus on continuous improvement. The greatest success stories emanate from the successful adoption of an integrated approach, where all stakeholders buy into the implementation of PDS; but, in the same vein, when the integrated approach is lacking, the benefits to clients are minimal.
Technology trends
Given the advantages associated with advanced technology systems, more and more companies are acquiring the latest technology to unlock business improvements.
“Although the expectation is that mining houses are aggressively adopting technology at their operations, the reality is that the speed of technology uptake varies between mining operations. At mining operations headed by tech savvy leaders, there is a desire to acquire the best technology available to assist in the day-to-day running of operations, while some businesses headed up by more mature personnel have a lower appetite for technology adoption. Generally speaking though, and given the technology gains, the bulk of the mining industry has been quick to adopt advanced technology systems.”
Coupled with the rapid adoption of PDS and CPS technology is the push from industry for better connectivity to ensure improved data collection and better management of information.
“We have seen a big drive from mining houses for data management as a tool to innovate and improve aspects such as safety, efficiency and productivity. Data management is playing a key role in aiding leaders to have a better handle on the working environment as they use data to track work progress and pinpoint the workers from the shirkers, amongst others. Essentially miners are using information to optimise their operations and thereby increase efficiencies,” explains Lourens.
Customers are also using PDS technology to identify hotspot areas and flag personnel and vehicle operators who are not behaving appropriately and, as a result, are recording a significant reduction in operational vehicle-to-person and vehicle-to-vehicle interaction.
Another component of advanced technology that has gained traction is digital twin technology, which allows mining operators to run different scenarios based on real time data. Digital twin technology aids with risk mitigation, improved traffic management and traffic flow analysis.
From a safety and risk management perspective, digital twin simulations can be used to create detailed, 3D models of the mine, including the locations of personnel and equipment. This can be used to track the movement of workers and vehicles, ensuring that they are in safe areas and avoiding unnecessary interactions.
New growth opportunities
Strong demand for its product offering sees the proudly South African OEM expanding internationally with recent entry into the Australian and Chilean markets. The company, which is also growing its African footprint and already has a presence in Congo, Ghana and Zambia, has been appointing collaborative partners in areas that have a similar mode of operation to that of South African mines.
To date, Booyco Electronics has appointed five global technology partners who understand the specific nuances of the mining industry, overall technology focus, and who are based locally in the areas of global operation.
The company is also diversifying into key sectors, such as harbours, forestry and warehousing, with Lourens explaining that Booyco Electronics continues to be inundated with enquiries from these sectors seeking to improve their safety measures.
“The number of forklift and factory related incidents in this country is alarming, which is why these sectors are looking to Booyco Electronics’ technology to help them save lives and their personnel from injuries,” concludes Lourens.
