Underground mining MineARC’s Refuge Chambers have saved lives worldwide during mining emergencies.
MineARC’s GuardIAN Intelligence Network: Looking out for your personnel EQUIPPED WITH ADVANCED SAFETY FEATURES, MINEARC’S REFUGE CHAMBERS HAVE SAVED LIVES IN MINING EMERGENCIES AROUND THE WORLD. NOW, THE COMPANY HAS TAKEN MINE SAFETY INNOVATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH THE GUARDIAN INTELLIGENCE NETWORK.
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nderground mine disasters can be a frantic time for workers. Crucial decisions need to be made within a matter of moments; whether it be seeking protection in a safe space, accounting for team members or avoiding harmful gases. MineARC’s underground refuge chambers can eliminate some of the stress in such high-pressure situations by providing a safe haven with clean, compressed air, mains power connection and direct communication channels to above-ground rescue teams. Compliant with Australian mining industry guidelines, MineARC’s range of refuge chambers are designed to ensure mine workers can stay inside for at least 36 hours. Now, the company has launched its next development in safety technology,
the GuardIAN Intelligence Network. GuardIAN provides site-wide real-time data at the operator’s finger tips – from gas monitoring, navigational lighting and personnel tracking, to monitoring an entire fleet of refuge chambers – all from one centralised device on the surface. Further, site operators are automatically alerted to emergency scenarios or network faults. MineARC chief innovation officer Brent Pearce and marketing manager Lesley Emery speak to Safe to Work about GuardIAN’s distinct features and how it performs in underground environments. “A lot of what we’re doing is around increasing safety,” Emery tells Safe to Work. “Helping people to react appropriately in an emergency and navigate to the chamber quickly and easily.
“The refuge chamber monitoring aspect of GuardIAN is very unique to the industry; sites can completely monitor their entire fleet of refuge chambers from the surface. “Should there be a fault that occurs in the chamber at any time, they’ll get an instant alert and that fault can be resolved very, very quickly, meaning that refuge chambers are fit for operation the moment they need to be used.” In the event of an emergency, workers sheltering in a MineARC refuge chamber equipped with GuardIAN can communicate face-to-face with the above-ground control room while remaining completely sealed from the outside environment. Communication with rescuers is not only reassuring in the midst of an adverse event but is also helpful for the
SAFETOWORK.COM.AU 22 MAR-APR 2020
