As the mining industry works to improve the level of safety around mining vehicles, proximity detection systems (PDS) and collision prevention systems (CPS) have been evolving into more interactive collision avoidance systems. With South Africa’s stringent mine safety legislation leading the world in this regard, the country now also has some of the most advanced technology available globally.
These developments arise from a time when a high proportion of mining industry deaths – about a third – were related to interactions between mining vehicles, and between these vehicles and pedestrians on mine sites. In South Africa, where mines are required by law to conduct detailed risk assessments for safety, this has therefore been a key area for mitigating related significant risks.
Booyco Electronics CEO Anton Lourens, a leading player in this field since 2006, says fast-developing digital technologies are now paving the way for collision avoidance to evolve quickly. For instance, the company’s CXS solution is now software-driven, allowing even more flexibility and adaptability to customer’s specific needs.
This allows Booyco Electronics to make modifications to suit customers’ changing needs – by wirelessly updating the software rather than the historical more onerous and costly task of swopping out the hardware. Another technological leap for PDS from the company, says Lourens.
