Fire safety
Advanced tech lights up fire suppression capability THE MUSTER FIRE SUPPRESSION PRODUCT FROM JSG INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS IS PAVING THE WAY FOR SAFER AND MORE RELIABLE OPERATIONS THROUGH RELIABLE AND ACCURATE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY.
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he consequences of a fire starting at a mine site are catastrophic. Fires can potentially lead to site-wide shutdowns, productivity losses – and in the most serious cases, fatalities. While Australian mining operations require stringent fire safety measures, the risk of one occurring requires effective management and mitigation. In 2019, 141 fires occurred on mobile plant at New South Wales mine sites alone, according to data from the NSW Resources Regulator. JSG Industrial Systems combats this problem with the technologically advanced Muster fire suppression system. The system is designed with intelligent sensors, including the MusterWire linear heat detection sensor and system pressure transducer. This allows the system to constantly monitor plant and equipment to ensure mine operators have complete oversight and awareness of a potential fire. JSG Industrial business development manager Dale Sharpe says the linear heat detection technology used on the Muster product is more reliable than traditional fire suppression methods. “It’s very important to have a system that operates correctly,” Sharpe tells Safe to Work. “One good thing about the Muster system is its use of linear heat detection technology. “This means we have a lot less joins
JSG offers technologically advanced fire suppression systems.
and hosing where the system could potentially leak from.” The Muster system is also capable of detecting any faults during routine checks to speed up maintenance processes, which can prevent long stints of unwanted downtime at a mine site. For Sharpe, a fire suppression system is vital to ensure the safety of a mine operation. “Any fire system is what we refer to as a frontline safety system. It’s right at the forefront of keeping operators safe,” Sharpe says. Since entering the fire industry, JSG has been a leader in the technological advances of fire suppression systems. Muster exemplifies this development with its cloud-based Muster360 software, which allows users to design bespoke fire systems and complete full
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risk assessments that ensure the fire suppression system meets AS50622016 certification. “Apart from a fire suppression system needing to work on a physical machine, a lot of paperwork is involved in the background to ensure the system is designed, installed and serviced correctly,” Sharpe says. “Muster360 can achieve that by taking care of the paperwork involved with the compliance of a fire system. “It also allows you to design a fire system for a specific machine and identify what is likely to cause it to catch fire through a risk assessment.” Sharpe says the Muster fire suppression system can already be used for electric vehicle fires, but further enhancements and innovations are on the horizon in this area.
