Emergency Preparedness at Newlands North to include PED and TRACKER
Xstrata’s new coal mine in Queensland Australia, New North Mine, has ordered the new Integrated Communications Cap Lamp (ICCL) with both PED Paging and TRACKER Tagging electronics.
The PED Receivers will allow all miners, wherever they are working underground, to be sent a text message. The PED transmission system will use an antenna that is installed the surface. Though useful as a day to day paging system, the PED also forms a critical part of the mine’s emergency preparedness system, by being the primary emergency warning system to initiate and direct an underground evacuation, should such a need arise.
To complement the PED system and other communication devices in use at the mine, Newlands North is also incorporating TRACKER Tags in each ICCL unit. These active Tags will transmit to read Beacons, which are installed at strategic locations underground, and enable the movement of people and equipment to be monitored throughout the mine in real time.
We are very appreciative of Xstrata Coal’s continuing support of our communication technologies. Along with other Xstrata mines using our PED technologies (such as Beltana, Oaky North, United, Oaky No. 1, and Baal Bone) we are very pleased to offer technology to support their safety and productivity targets.