Every Friday, SAfm’s radio anchor Sakina Kamwendo speaks to Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly. Reported here is this Friday’s At the Coalface transcript:
Kamwendo: High technology is being deployed at the world’s deepest mine on Gauteng’s Far West Rand to uplift safety.
Creamer: Yes, safety is number one in mining and when mining extends to great depth, it is very hard to predict what can happen. The mine we are talking about is the Mponeng mine. This is the world's deepest mine and it is a major gold mine out on the Far West Rand. What they want to try and use is sound technology, which will provide early warning if there are rocks cracking or any situation like that.
The alert that the sound provides can enable people to exit the mine. But, by and large, it will be another form of digitization of examination. We see digitisation sweeping the world. Everything is going digital and this will be a sort of a digital insight that you get early, so that you can vacate the mine and make sure that there are no fatalities.
Kamwendo: South Africa’s mining industry this week hailed the launch of the Government-Business Partnership for Growth and Jobs.
