Xstrata's United Coal Mine Tagging System
Xstrata Coal has ordered a TRACKER Tagging System for their United Coal Mine in the Hunter Valley, NSW.
Similar to Springvale Coal Mine's recent TRACKER installation, United have taken the opportunity to upgrade their cap lamp batteries and BeltPEDs to the new ICCL unit. These new ICCL's will contain a PED Receiver to operate off their PED transmission system already in place, as well as including RFID Tags to work with the TRACKER System.
The installation consists of:
- 204 x ICCLs with PED Receiver and RFID Tag.
- 20 x Self Contained Tags on Underground Diesel Vehicles.
- 12 Read Beacons.
United management's justification was based on:
- Tracking people for safety of people.
- Vehicle fleet management, particularly access control into ventilation districts.
- Go to ICCL’s because of light weight, and that the PED and Tag can be in one unit.
We are very appreciative of the continued support United Colliery and the Xstrata Group has shown for our safety and communication technologies. Particularly because of the enormous development effort that was required to make a tagging system that truly suits the underground mining environment, and work reliably as an overall system.
As a tagging system is just that, a "System", simply testing one or two 'off-the-shelf' readers and a few tags, is not testing a working system. The leap from that simple test set up to a reliable system is large, and it is something that many people simply do not realize. Hence our appreciation of Xstrata's support for our efforts to make such a system available to the underground mining industry.
ICCL Cap Lamps come with RFID Tag and PED Pager