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Author: Admin | 2025-04-27
North American Mining takes a short walk through some recent topics in underground mine safety.By Jonathan RowlandRecent mining fatalities in the U.S. mining industry have involved vehicle collisions, electrocutions, falls, equipment rollovers, and drowning. Although fewer in number thus far this year compared to the same time last year, “fatalities, injuries, and illnesses are preventable, and one fatality is too many,” an MSHA spokesperson told North American Mining. It is thus important to “prioritize identifying and eliminating hazards that can cause injury or illness.”New technologies such as AI and machine learning may offer opportunities here, “enhancing analysis of real-world data and identifying patterns and trends in ways that allow more effective targeting of resources,” according to the MSHA spokesperson. “Of course, we need to confirm the reliability of AI and machine learning in the challenging and sometimes unpredictable mining environment.”As Florent Garin, senior product manager at Hexagon, noted, there is a more fundamental roadblock to using AI and machine learning to improve underground mine safety. “Some underground mines are still not equipped with basic technologies such as communication, infrastructure, production management tools, fleet management systems, and asset tracking solutions.”This is changing, however: “I have seen a recent shift in the mentality of underground miners towards prioritizing technology as a common denominator across the entire mining operation, rather than isolating it in a specialist department,” continued Garin. “Digital technology is evolving into part of the business model rather than a peripheral consideration. This evolution is important because, to make the most
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