Despite the continued improvement in occupational safety in the U.S mining industry, this sector continues to record worker fatalities. The U.S. Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) recorded the deaths of 27 miners in 2018 from an overall workforce strength of over 330,000.

Researchers at the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that machine-related incidents accounted for 41% of all mining accidents. There are increasing concerns about worker safety in mining operations around the globe. This is reflected in the overall improvements in mining safety procedures and industry regulations, in addition to the use of technology.

Can a Frontline Workforce Productivity platform improve worker safety and compliance? Let us discuss how.

Improving Frontline Team Safety and Compliance

Let us look at five ways in which a technology-based frontline workforce platform can improve the worker’s safety and compliance:

1. Providing guided work instructions to mining operators

Digital work instructions for the operating complex mining equipment are now a feasible mode for operators to perform their daily work with minimum risk. In place of bulky instruction documents, operators can now connect to a centralized workforce platform and gain access to step-by-step guided work instructions that include the best safety practices.

2. Enabling reporting of “near-miss” incidents

Most mining facilities have none (or poor) reporting of "near-miss" incidents. This is primarily due to manual processes where verbally conveyed incidents are not properly documented, thus making the process ineffective. This leads to a lack of investigation into such incidents, resulting in a lack of knowledge and solutions among frontline workers.

By enabling complete visibility into frontline mining operations, a connected workforce platform captures information about “near-miss” incidents, thus enabling the development of a zero-risk mining environment.

3. Recording and resolving mining hazards and issues

Effective risk management is an essential element for worker safety in any mining facility. In today’s times, mining companies also need to follow safety norms in accordance with EHS guidelines. With a frontline workforce platform, mining businesses can easily record any occupational hazards or compliance-related issues and resolve them accordingly.

4. Supporting the learning of frontline workers

For ensuring the best safety practices, frontline workers in the mining sector must be adequately trained to meet their safety-related obligations. Regular training programs can help in reducing mining incidents. Workforce platforms provide the necessary training resources that mining personnel can access on their devices at any time.

5. Training of new miners on EHS safety practices

As the most vulnerable and high-risk group, newly onboarded employees have limited knowledge of EHS-prescribed safety measures and protocols. For smooth onboarding and training, new employees can be trained through scheduled orientation programs enabled by a frontline workforce platform.

Conclusion

In today's times, mining companies need to ensure the complete safety of their workforce when working on remote mining sites. A Frontline Workforce Productivity platform can ensure the well-being and safety of frontline teams including mining operators, engineers, and maintenance personnel.

As a reliable technology provider, Atheer has helped its mining customers address multiple pain points such as lack of operational visibility and ensuring a safe environment for their frontline workers. With its frontline workforce platform, Atheer integrated multiple tech solutions under one roof. This includes AR-based video assistance, guided, work instructions, along with workers' learning and training resources.