Safety and Security in Mining Operations Track
Track Focus
The mining sector faces growing challenges related to worker safety in harsh environments and complex operating conditions. Workers are often exposed to safety risks in mining complexes or sites such as ground collapses, rocks falling, equipment malfunctions, heavy machinery operations, gas exposure, dust-related illnesses, or extreme weather conditions. Addressing these hazards is priority in the mining industry and it is essential to creating safer and more reliable workplaces.
This track emphasizes the importance of innovative approaches that strengthen site safety and improve workplace conditions. The focus is on solutions that can anticipate risks before they escalate, reduce exposure to dangerous environments, and ensure that mining operations comply with the highest standards of safety and reliability.
In this track, participants are invited to develop innovative solutions that go beyond detecting and responding to incidents. Instead, they should aim to predict and prevent accidents, safeguard workers, and redefine what it means to create safe, resilient, and human-centered mining workplaces.
Challenges
Challenge 1: Enhancing Occupational Health and Safety of Mine Workers
Mining remains one of the primary methods for extracting valuable resources and geological materials from the earth. The mining method used will shape the design and conditions of the mining site. The two primary methods are:
• Open-pit mining, conducted at the surface, involves removing large quantities of rock and soil to access near-surface deposits
• Underground mining is the extraction of raw materials below the earth's surface, and is used to reach deeper ore bodies through tunnels and shafts
These methods are typically located in remote under-serviced areas, requiring workers to spend extended periods on site under demanding and labor-intensive conditions. Typically, such sites are considered high-risk environments where workers operate in extreme conditions such as heat, poor air circulation, high noise, and constant dust exposure.
Hazards include silica dust, diesel particulate matter, heavy metals, chemical reagents used in ore processing, and in some deposits, radiation exposure from gamma radiation or naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). A recurring challenge is ensuring that workers can maintain safety and situational awareness in such environments, particularly when combined with fatigue, blind spots, or weak communication on site.
This challenge requires participants to propose innovative methods that protect workers' safety by predicting and anticipating early symptoms of health conditions, near misses, and risk indicators to enable proactive action to mitigate or prevent hazards before they occur.
Solution Pathways:
Gamified Engagement and Safety Approaches
Using gamification and interactive technologies to enhance workers' awareness of safety practices and motivate them to follow safe procedures in the work environment.
Health Resilience and Preventive Technologies
Developing advanced preventive technical solutions to protect workers from health and physical risks, and enhance their general health in the mining work environment.
Hazard Recognition and Situational Awareness
Using advanced artificial intelligence technologies for early recognition of potential risks and hazards, and enhancing workers' awareness of surrounding conditions at the site.
Challenge Partners
Challenge 2: Safeguarding Environments against Hazards
Mining sites face critical safety risks primarily driven by the extensive use of heavy machinery and complex operational environments. Equipment such as haul trucks, loaders, drilling rigs, crushers, and conveyor systems operate in close proximity to workers, increasing the likelihood of accidents when communication or coordination fails.
Active drilling and blasting zones, combined with constant movement of large mobile equipment, pose significant risks to personnel on the ground. Mechanical failures or malfunctions further elevate the chances of incidents, which can occur due to inspection issues, weather conditions, or geological factors like unexpected rockfalls, seismic activity, and unstable slopes, particularly in open-pit and underground settings.
The main challenge is the lack of or absence of real-time awareness between equipment operators and different personnel at mining sites, which can lead to injuries, operational shutdowns, or equipment failures.
How can mining sites integrate innovative methods and practices to predict, monitor, and respond to safety risks related to heavy machinery operation in smart ways that ensure worker protection, equipment preservation, and operational continuity?
Solution Pathways:
Smart Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI)
Developing interactive systems that facilitate communication between operators and equipment, enhancing response speed and reducing operational errors.
Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR)
Using augmented and virtual reality technologies to train workers in a safe environment that simulates real risks, and to enhance hazard awareness during actual operations.
AI-powered Smart Safety Monitoring
Solutions based on artificial intelligence to monitor equipment performance and detect any malfunction or potential hazard in real-time, enabling quick intervention and prevention before incidents occur.
Challenge Partners