Every day, 6,300 people die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases. That’s more than 2.3 million deaths per year. Since 2003, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has celebrated World Safety Day on April 28. World Safety Day helps raise awareness of occupational safety and health. Through worldwide events and activities on World Safety Day, ILO and other organizations look back through the development of work safety and health and look to the future.
Here, we reflect on our own experiences with safety in industries like mining and why the right equipment and maintenance can decrease the risk of injuries and fatalities.
Monitoring Equipment Keeps Technicians in the Loop
In the underground coal mining industry, over 30% of lost-time injuries are due to the maintenance of mining equipment. Furthermore, electrical injury rates were higher and more dangerous than other types of injuries in mining. In a later study of over 800 cases by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), electrical and machine maintenance or repair activities were involved in 69% of the injuries.
The mining industry in itself comes with occupational risks, but those risks can be managed with monitoring and equipment maintenance. One way to improve mining safety is to use advanced monitoring equipment like the VERTEX, which detects potential equipment problems and alerts team members of sudden failures. When team members are off the clock, 24/7 equipment monitoring continues, and a General Kinematics Field Service team is there to analyze your data and recommend courses of action to maintain optimal performance.
Regular Monitoring Reduces Downtime
Regular monitoring and preventative maintenance may be expensive, but compared to the costs of injury, equipment downtime and lost productivity, they are certainly worth it. Rather than scheduling inspections and repair after equipment problems arise, preventative maintenance and monitoring can predict patterns of failure, detect issues, and schedule repairs quickly for pieces nearing the end of their lifecycle.
Portable monitoring units like the APEX can measure the performance of multiple equipment units. NOMADX uses the data provided by your unit to perform service and maintenance on your vibratory equipment. The NOMADX Field Service team provides reports and solutions to improve your production and optimize your existing equipment, With optimized equipment performance, safety risks are minimized.
To learn more about our BARRIER monitoring equipment, contact General Kinematics and speak to a member of the team about your safety concerns and needs today.
