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Leveraging IIoT to Improve Machine Safety in the Mining Industry

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Abstract

Each year, hundreds of mine workers are involved in machinery-related accidents. Many of these accidents involve inadequate or improper use of lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures. To mitigate the occurrence of these accidents, new safety methods are needed to monitor access to hazardous areas around operating machinery, improve documentation/monitoring of maintenance that requires shutdown of the machinery, and prevent unexpected startup or movement during machine maintenance activities. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is currently researching the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to provide intelligent machine monitoring as part of a comprehensive LOTO program. This paper introduces NIOSH’s two phase implementation of an IoT-based intelligent machine monitoring system. Phase one is the installation of a proof-of-concept system at a concrete batch plant, while phase two involves scaling up the system to include additional sensors, more detailed safety/performance metrics, proximity detection, and predictive failure analysis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the management and staff of Central Pre-Mix a CRH Company for their cooperation and assistance in this work. Additionally, the authors would like to express their gratitude to Greg Bierie, Managing Director of Safe Reliable Systems, for partnering with NIOSH in an effort to bring this solution to wide-scale implementation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CDC NIOSH, Spokane, WA, USA

    M. McNinch, D. Parks, R. Jacksha & A. Miller

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  1. M. McNinch
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  2. D. Parks
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  3. R. Jacksha
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  4. A. Miller
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Correspondence to M. McNinch.

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The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement of NIOSH.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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McNinch, M., Parks, D., Jacksha, R. et al. Leveraging IIoT to Improve Machine Safety in the Mining Industry. Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 36, 675–681 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-019-0067-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-019-0067-5

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