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Goldfield Granny Smith

Granny Smith is a fly-in gold mine and processing plant run by the Gold Fields mining company located in Western Australia. It’s been operating since 1989 and currently produces about 290,000 oz of gold every year. Originally an open pit operation, gold at Granny Smith is primarily mined underground in the four zones of the Wallaby deposit. Access to the surface is through a portal, and all the mine’s haulage is via truck. There are about 100 people working at the site.

The Challenge

The underground mining environment is a dangerous one, and even when people are at their most vigilant, accidents and injuries can happen.

One of the biggest challenges underground mining operations deal with is the visibility of events happening underground from the surface. When monitoring an evacuation situation, this limitation is even more pronounced when ensuring miner safety during an emergency.

The sheer size of an UG mine adds a layer of complexity to an emergency. Accounting for personnel and communicating from above ground to underground are some of the hardest things to manage. Generally, the assistance required in an emergency comes from above ground through the form of a medical professional or the emergency response team (ERT).

Choosing Newtrax

What’s unique about the Newtrax offering is that it helps not only improve safety but has benefits for mine productivity as well.

The integrated Newtrax system is able to track and monitor both personnel and equipment anywhere in the mine through the use of sensors that go beyond location data.

Measuring tonnage hauled, equipment engine performance, tire pressure and operator behavior is also a crucial part of the Newtrax digital offering.

In the event of an emergency, the system alerts us immediately. It eliminates any waiting time for emergency calls from stench gas. It’s immediate. The system alerts us and we can get to the nearest refuge chamber, which also identifies that we’re safe and sound.

Nicola Allen — Stores Truck Operation — Gold Fields Granny Smith

The Outcome

The Newtrax system now allows Granny Smith mine to track their personnel underground in real-time to ensure they are safe at all times.

Mark Glazebrook — Mining Manager — Gold Fields Granny Smith

Real-Time Tracking

The Newtrax system now allows Granny Smith mine to track their personnel underground in real-time to ensure they are safe at all times.

Evacuation Notification

When something goes wrong, the system sends notifications through the Newtrax-Enabled cap lamps to all the workers so they know to get to safety as quickly as possible.

The team on the surface is notified when people reach a refuge station, knowing immediately when workers are safe, and where to send rescue teams, should that be necessary.

Safety

With this, Granny Smith mine managed to get all personnel to refuge chambers within 37 minutes, which is approximately 20 minutes faster than they would do previously.