Overview of Digital Technologies for Improving Mine Safety

Underground mining operations in Kazakhstan involve limited visibility, complex excavation geometry, the movement of heavy machinery, and the risk of changing environmental conditions. In such settings, traditional occupational health and safety methods based primarily on regulations, inspections, and post-incident analysis no longer provide sufficient responsiveness. The Smart Mine concept is changing this approach: information is received in real time, while safety systems help not only eliminate the consequences of incidents but also identify hazardous scenarios in advance.

One of the key challenges for a modern mine is the fragmentation of digital solutions. Sensors, positioning systems, industrial control systems, emergency notification tools, and corporate software may operate independently, leaving the dispatcher with separate fragments of information.

The minePASS platform integrates data from industrial control systems, ERP, positioning systems, and emergency notification systems into a unified management environment. Integration is also performed via API, while customizable dashboards make it possible to visualize production indicators and generate reports.

Within a single digital environment, several groups of data can be compared:

• the location of personnel and equipment;
• equipment status and production performance;
• emergency and safety event notifications;
• environmental parameters;
• information on downtime and equipment efficiency.

This approach creates end-to-end digital transparency: the dispatcher sees not an isolated signal, but a connected picture of what is happening at the enterprise.

Alpha-Safety offers the minePASS platform for comprehensive mine digitalization, combining data from various systems in a single information environment. The solution helps obtain information faster for management decisions, monitor processes, and reduce the duration of unplanned downtime.

Knowing where employees and equipment are located is critical during an emergency. Real-time positioning allows the dispatcher to quickly determine the location of workers, monitor geofences, and coordinate actions in an abnormal situation.

Within the minePASS ecosystem, integration with the Strata Commtrac system is used. It makes it possible to visualize the position of personnel and equipment with an accuracy of up to 15 meters, transmit text and emergency messages with delivery confirmation, and receive gas and temperature sensor alerts linked to the worker’s location.

Digital communication makes it possible to go beyond passive monitoring. A miner can send a distress signal independently, while the system helps monitor movements, working hours, access to geofenced areas, and evacuation routes.

Heavy machinery operating in narrow underground workings creates a separate group of risks. Limited visibility and the presence of people near machines can result in runovers, collisions, or injuries during maneuvering.

To reduce such risks, STRATA HazardAvert is used. The system creates electromagnetic zones around a machine and detects when a person or another vehicle enters a potentially hazardous area. When a zone is violated, audible and visual alerts are triggered, and the system can be configured to automatically slow down or stop the machine.

Key capabilities of this approach include:

• detecting dangerous proximity between people and machinery;
• creating warning and danger zones around a machine;
• operating without requiring direct line of sight between objects;
• detecting approaching objects even around corners;
• maintaining performance in darkness, sunlight, and high dust levels;
• enabling automatic slowing or stopping of machinery.

Another level of digitalization is equipment telemetry. Collecting information about machine location, loads, and component condition makes it possible to move from periodic inspections to continuous equipment analysis, allowing early detection of potential malfunctions and downtime.

Underground safety depends not only on people and equipment. The condition of mine workings, access to hazardous areas, visibility, and the ability to obtain data from areas where human entry is risky are equally important.

Autonomous 3D scanning technologies are used to survey complex areas. Hovermap ST-X operates using LiDAR and SLAM and can be deployed with a drone without GPS, manually, on a backpack, or on machinery. The device makes it possible to generate dense point clouds and survey inaccessible areas while the operator remains in a safe location.

Additional elements of digital infrastructure help reduce everyday risks:

• emergency rescue cameras provide an additional monitoring tool during emergencies;
• environmental monitoring systems track parameters that affect safety;
• intelligent data transmission solutions connect underground devices to the dispatching system;
• x-Glo LED strips provide uniform linear lighting in mine workings and along travel routes.

For mines, it is especially important to avoid sharp transitions between light and dark areas. X-Glo systems are designed for long-term operation, have a stated service life of more than 50,000 hours, and are intended to provide uniform illumination of underground spaces.

Digital technologies in a mine are most effective not as a collection of separate devices, but as an interconnected system. Positioning, communication, machinery monitoring, environmental analysis, and 3D scanning complement each other and provide the dispatcher with more data for preventing hazardous situations.

As a result, digitalization can simultaneously improve industrial safety, reduce downtime, and enhance production management. For enterprises in Kazakhstan, the transition to the Smart Mine model is becoming a way to combine safety requirements with efficiency goals and more responsive operational management.