SAFETY
Caterpillar safety advisors in the 24/7 Fleet
Monitoring Centre analyse data and video from
in-vehicle systems, such as Seeing Machines’
DSS, to notify on-site personnel about drowsy
or distracted driving. Each fatigue and
distraction event is reviewed, verified, classified
and logged for analysis and recordkeeping.
With insight and analytics from equipment and
operator data, Caterpillar safety advisors can
help quantify job site risk and its impact on
performance and uptime. These connected data
points help drive site re-design, improve
processes, education and work schedules that
lead to operational excellence
for the flame to pass the barrier. Depending on
the mining method (eg room and pillar), multiple
AESS units may be placed along the roadways.
The AESS needs to move as the working face
progresses. Although an AESS may be situated at
a fixed point, the location can be changed quickly
to adapt to changes in face position.
Furthermore, the ExploSpot Roadway AESS is so
compact and flexible in configuration, that it can
be used in roadways with various ‘explosion
suppression obstacles’ which are common to
normal mining operations. These might be
conveyors or various cable and waterpipe
networks mounted to the roof.
The ExploSpot AESS has been proven to
suppress methane gas and/or coaldust
explosions on at least six occasions within the
last 15 years. All these explosions were recorded
on systems installed on continuous miners in
South Africa. Each explosion would, if not
suppressed, have caused detrimental damage to
equipment and harm to miners.
Stay awake
“Intense schedules,” says Seeing Machines,
remote locations, long hours and repetitive tasks
leave mining equipment operators especially
prone to the dangers of fatigue. “Coupled with
heavy equipment and hazardous environments,
even the smallest lapse in concentration can put
operational people at risk and cost millions of
dollars to the owners.”
The Driver Safety System (DSS) developed by
Seeing Machines and produced exclusively
though a multimillion-dollar partnership with
Caterpillar offers, the company states, best-in-
class driver fatigue avoidance and management.
“Our non-intrusive, in-cab solution alerts
operators the instant that they stop paying
sufficient attention to vehicle operation. Real-
time event data is then transmitted to a specialist
24-hour facility where trained personnel can
implement best practice risk mitigation
processes on behalf of your business.”
Caterpillar Safety Services offers training
programs to help leaders embrace the culture of
sa