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When Teck Resources was looking for a technology standard for vehicle safety across all of its operations in 2012, ease of use and functionality were key compo- nents. Ultimately they selected a SAFEmine collision avoidance system, and since that time the company has been working with the Canadian coal producer. A trial of SAFEmine's Traffic Awareness and Collision Avoidance System (CAS) was conducted on surface mining equip- ment and light vehicles at Teck's Line Creek operations near Sparwood, British Columbia that year. In a charter developed by Teck, which h a d r e l e a s e d a r e q u e s t f o r p r o p o s a l s ( R F P s ) s e v e r a l m o n t h s b e f o r e s e e k i n g input from the sector, the crucial points were to evaluate available technologies a n d s u p p l i e r s t h a t c o u l d b e p u t i n t o p l a c e p o r t f o l i o - w i d e . A d d i t i o n a l l y , the producer had a desire to reduce the n u m b e r a n d s e v e r i t y o f e q u i p m e n t accidents. For SAFEmine, the core issues were to understand Teck's operations environ- ment and standard operating procedures, and also keep in mind that the needed solution would be supporting — not replacing — the company's existing safety outlines. Other considerations were keep- ing operator overload and nuisance alarms to a minimum. To meet the trial's objectives, including demonstrating effectiveness of the system to increase operator awareness, an on/off study to show changes in operator behav- ior, and proving adaptability to meet the mine's specific requirements, a six-week program was designed to record and com- pare vehicle data. This included light and heavy vehicle interactions with each other and with a shovel. Also demonstrated was online, real- time tracking of vehicles and vehicle sta- tus, which allowed remote collection of data. Alarms associated with speeding, close vehicle interactions and potential collisions were analyzed. Another por- tion of the program analyzed customized a l a r m i n g s c h e m e p e r f o r m a n c e o n t h e specific interactions being examined. Traffic Awareness and CAS Development Traffic awareness and collision avoidance functions are based on position, speed, heading and vehicle type. For traffic awareness, visual information on vehicle locations is provided based on distance and position to help anticipate the danger and raise awareness. For collision avoid- ance, which is based on path prediction and dynamic safety zones incorporated into the system, an audible alarm serves as a call to action. The CAS system components consist of four parts: a GPS/RF antenna, which houses both the GPS antenna and the RF antenna for the vehicle-to-vehicle radio network; a main unit with a GPS receiver, processor and on-board memory (black box-type recording); a remote display with LED indicators to show the location of nearby vehicles and to generate audi- ble collision alarms when two or more vehicles are on a collision course; and a Wi-Fi antenna for connection to a server for real-time tracking and monitoring of equipment. Users can also connect remotely to each outfitted vehicle to download log files. While it was not a part of the trial pro- gram, the CAS additionally has optional radar and camera integration capabilities. The display indicates 360° of coverage with no blind spots, and up to 50 vehicles can be displayed on the unit at the same time. Simultaneously, the black box recording function allows for continuous recording of vehicle parameters, location and collision alarms. Fixed hazard map- ping permits the detection of objects that are not outfitted with a SAFEmine system, such as overhead power lines, lighting plants and stop signs. The SAFEmine technology was originally developed for the general aviation industry and within the past few years has become a leading solution for the enhancement of vehicle safety in open-pit mines of all types following development efforts with Anglo American. The Swiss-based company, which has branch facilities globally, became a member of the Hexagon group of companies in March 2014. c o l l i s i o n avo i da n c e B Y D O N N A S C H M I D T , F I E L D E D I T O R Teck, SAFEmine Team Up for Collision Avoidance Program Trial collision avoidance program successes helping to take Teck's safety mission company-wide 50 www.coalage.com April 2014 For traffic awareness, information on the vehicle's location is used to anticipate danger. The collision avoidance system uses path prediction and dynamic safety zones. CA_pg50-53_V3_CA_pg46-47 4/14/14 12:16 PM Page 50