Remote Sites Need To Keep In Touch

Work alone legislation has become a key part of the safety picture. For example, OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) regulations demand that workers alone or in isolation be provided with the means to communicate with their employers. As part of the OHS stipulations, employers must establish regular contact with workers at designated time intervals (including the end of their work shift), as well as establish follow up procedures where they have not been able to maintain contact.

For mining operators, a number of challenges can stand in the way of maintaining contact with workers in the field. For one, communications in remote areas are usually limited. Many are working well out of cell phone range, and two-way radio communications have limited reach and functionality.

When communications are lost, there fore, or a worker fails to return to his reporting station in time, the standard response has been to launch a full-scale search and rescue effort. This is both time consuming and costly. It is also wasteful if the worker has simply forgotten to check in or is unable to reach the reporting station at the designated time.

Satellite phones for their part can serve as valuable text and voice communications tools. However, given that the hardware is relatively expensive and airtime rates are high for the occasional or infrequent user, it may be cost prohibitive for many operators to deploy units to multiple teams in the field. In addition, today’s satellite phones for the most part, do not have GPS functionality, so cannot be used to locate workers if they are unable to place a call. While GPS devices solve the location problem, they do not offer outgoing communications capabilities to allow workers to contact someone in the case of an emergency or to simply check in to say they are okay.

For companies like Sage Gold, with mining operations in North Western Ontario, the answer to the remote communications challenge has been the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger™. This one-way communications device combines satellite and GPS technology to provide a simple but inexpensive and effective multi-tiered notification system.

With the SPOT, workers can send various levels of outgoing text and alert signals simply by pressing a button when they are in clear view of the sky. Managers and/or emergency workers immediately understand the urgency of the worker’s needs and make the appropriate response. If a search is required, the device pinpoints the person’s location to within 12 feet since all signals include detailed GPS coordinates.

Messages can be sent to a series of des ignated email address (up to five), mobile phones (up to five), or to a worldwide 911 emergency response centre, depending on the level of urgency. Signal options include a simple check-in feature to keep employers posted on arrival times and progress; a track progress button for sending location coordinates for mapping; an “ask for help” feature for non-critical emergencies; and a full-scale 911 signal that automatically contacts the emergency response centre to dispatch search and rescue teams (in the latter case signals are sent every five minutes for up to seven days).

Unlike other options, the SPOT is affordable enough for wide scale deployment. The fixed cost, including full tracking features, is $320 for the first year (including equipment) and $150 annual service fee for the following years.

Sage Gold currently has 50 units in operation, where each team of workers (usually two on any given assignment) is provided with a unit. Throughout the day, the team members use the satellite messenger to notify head office of their location on a pre-determined schedule.

The company has found that satellite messaging has been highly effective in bridging the communications gap while improving worker safety. The SPOT works dependably throughout Canada, up to 70 degrees North and virtually every other geographical region, and can provide details on worker status and location in a matter of seconds. The tracking feature also allows prospectors and researchers to enter waypoints for mapping purposes. Most importantly, they have a simple, easy-to-use, cost effective, emergency system that can be quickly activated when the need arises.

For the most part, satellite messaging is a complementary technology that mining operations can use to help effectively address work alone requirements and improve worker safety at an affordable rate. Not only can operators minimize the risk to workers, they can also enact more accurate and consistent check-in reporting procedures. Given the low entry costs and ease of use versus other options, satellite messaging can serve as an ideal lifeline for field workers.

NMT

Fintan Robb is Senior Marketing Manager for Globalstar Canada Satellite Co., a provider of mobile satellite voice and data services, Mr. Fintan can be reached via email @ frobb@globalstar.ca.

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A Number Of Challenges Can Stand In The Way Of Maintaining Contact With Workers In The Field