Operator visibility is high on the list of safety initiatives for mining companies. In fact, visibility is one of the top 15 priority areas identified by the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table — a group of leading mining companies that joined forces to encourage equipment manufacturers to improve the design of equipment in order to minimize health and safety risks.

Limited visibility is a potential cause for many types of collisions — especially those involving large machines, like mining haul trucks, which have equally large operator visibility / blind spots. Once an operator climbs into the cab, he or she may be unable to see if another machine, vehicle or a person on feet enters one of these blind spots, creating potential safety hazards.

The more equipment operators know about the working environment around them, the more safely they will be able to operate their machines. On-board technologies use cameras and radar to provide that important knowledge — making it possible for operators to “see” objects that have entered the immediate environment around their equipment.

These systems can automatically detect hazards such as other equipment or vehicles within critical zones around the machine — in front, at the rear or within the turning radius on each side, depending on machine type — and display that information on in-cab monitors. Zones can be automatically displayed depending on the gear selection of the vehicle. For example, a forward view may be displayed when the machine is in drive or a rear view when it is in reverse.

Technology systems help make operators more aware of everything in their environment – from objects in their immediate vicinity to assets throughout the site.

What do you think? What are the assets on your site that could be potential hazards? How do you help equipment operators “see” them?  Please share feedback on this topic by commenting on this article.

To learn more about detection technologies that help equipment operators detect machines and other assets, click here: Cat MineStar System/Detect.