Tips to Improve Mining Production and Safety

Written by Kevin Hill, Quality Scales Unlimited

As long as there have been mining endeavours, there have been mining catastrophes. From the bronze and iron ages to the age of coal and steel, hazards of mining have caused significant human loss.

Fortunately, modern mining tools and techniques have done much to alleviate the risk and dangers of mining operations. Mining safety regulations have also become more stringent, yet the risk will always exist. Software for mine planning has made operations far safer and more productive but there are a few more strategies that can help maintain miner safety as well as boost production.

Improving mining operation safety 

The safety within mining relies on several inter-related aspects including environmental, legal, social, technical and organizational. However, the degree and standard of execution that combine to form the best practices have a massive impact on mining production and safety.

Here are four strategies that can help improve your worker safety and make your mining operations more productive:

One, establishing emergency management plans

A database application that stores all the information regarding regulations and licensing requirements and offers instant access to predefined user categories makes it easy to manage, assign and monitor workflows. Using this system, managers can define emergency plans for environmental incidents and send instant notifications to users who support immediate response.

Two, mitigating risk

Mining operations can be streamlined and simplified by using risk management software that is designed to identify existing and impending risks so that users can assess, monitor and mitigate risks in real-time.

Three, monitoring the health status of employees

Healthy employees are the key to safe and productive mining operations but if tracking the health status of your employees seems difficult, you can use a database application to record their health histories along with their sick leave records, injury reports and claims of compensation. The application should also have a module that tracks the usage of drugs and alcohol while restricting the access to limited users.

Database records can also be used for scheduling health and safety trainings, preventive health events, and health checks. A comprehensive health and safety application facilitates real-time monitoring of the health status of employees across organizational units.

Four, ensuring compliance

Non-compliance issues not only threaten the safety of workers but also reduce productivity. Any compliance issue and the consequences of compliance investigations therefore need to be dealt with immediately. Additionally, processes and procedures also need to be realigned to avoid recurrence and improvise mining operations.

Leveraging technology to boost mining production 

Mining machinery and equipment ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness by facilitating optimal use of available resources.

1. Blasting tools
   Blasting tools are one of the most common and important aspects of a mining operation. Used for breaking down materials to separate the required product, blasting tools also remove pockets of unwanted materials that block access to required materials. Blasting tools are suitable for use in both open pit and underground mining operations.
2. Mining drills
   Mining drills assist in creating holes and accessing minerals and rocks that are located at a considerable distance from the ground level. Mining drills also ensure that holes are big enough for mining work when miners are required to work underground.
3. Crushing Equipment
   Crushing equipment is engineered to filter and break down hard rocks into smaller manageable sizes that are easy to process further and transport. Using crushing equipment for mining operations increases your process efficiency as well as reducing costs.
4. Truck Scales
   Once the materials are recovered from the mines and crushed, they are loaded onto the weighing system to ensure that the safety guidelines are met. Truck scales ensure compliance with the permissible weight limits and help avoid costly fines that arise due to overloading. Having an accurate weighing system in place for mining operation ensures accurate and reliable measurements. These truck scales feature a robust design that efficiently endures harsh weather conditions and varying temperatures, to deliver the desired outcome.