Technologies and Practices for Remotely Monitoring Ground Stability in U.S. Underground Metal Mines

Details

• Personal Author:
  Benton DJ ; Boltz, M. Shawn ; Chambers DJA ; Dehn K ; Warren S
• Description:
  Remotely operated or autonomous mining equipment addresses challenging mining conditions by removing workers from the mining face. A consequence, however, is the loss of human sensory data, which is important for hazard identification in mining. Therefore, the use of technologies to remotely collect and analyze geotechnical data to replace or augment human feedback will become increasingly important. In this study, a review of ground stability monitoring in underground metal mines in the U.S. was conducted to understand the current practices and barriers to implementing remote monitoring. The authors found ground control personnel preferred standalone monitoring tools, with networked instruments limited to special cases. Barriers to adopting newer ground-control technologies include: 1) understaffing, 2) limited awareness of existing tools, 3) justifying the investment in modern technology, 4) limited interoperability, and 5) inconsistent data management practices. A monitoring strategy that supports remote mining should address these barriers and could include: 1) remote imaging of the mining face, 2) ground support performance monitoring, and 3) seismic monitoring. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automation Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Emerging Technology Ground Control Metal Mining Mining Equipment Monitoring Systems Remote Control Rock Mechanics Underground Mines
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Idaho ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  SMRD - Spokane Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063510
• Citation:
  MineXchange: 2021 SME Annual Conference and Expo and CMA 123rd National Western Mining Conference, March 1-5, 2021, virtual event, preprint 21-013. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, 2021 Mar; :1-8
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  MineXchange: 2021 SME Annual Conference and Expo and CMA 123rd National Western Mining Conference, March 1-5, 2021, virtual event, preprint 21-013
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d6cb32f2f988ed2d17939a09793a9ade87ef037ff1c155b234a8b6990de497d16631f7fab3c77714cbc60d870f3194ac1eb32852a951049cd6dd3a89e9aa8820
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215412/cdc_215412_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 427.43 KB ]