First Mining Drc-Zambia March -April 2020 digital edition First Mining Drc-Zambia March - April 2020 digital | Page 14

PRODUCT
FEATURE
Working to eliminate the ever-
present risk of fire in mines
M
ine sites are both broad and
varied in how they operate as well
as the critical natural resources
that they search for. However, all have in
common, highly expensive and mission
critical equipment that typically operate
day and night under extreme hostile
conditions, in vast, remote and difficult
to access environments, especially on
underground equipment.
Heavy vehicles, mobile plant, agricultural
machinery,
stationary
equipment,
electrical
control
rooms,
power
generation equipment and other assets
represent a substantial investment
for any business. Due to the often-
heavy demands placed on equipment
performance, a significant consideration
of risk for any operator today is damage
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to equipment or potential loss of life
resulting from the ever-present risk
of fire. This is why it is so important to
ensure that all this critical equipment are
protected by appropriate fire protection
systems.
Wherever you have heat generation
combined with potential mechanical
or electrical component failure, the
probability of fire is real.
Consequently, consideration must be
given to the costs of asset replacement
and lost production. These costs are,
however, insignificant compared to the
possible loss of life.
While there are some common causes
of fire, it is worthwhile considering
the options available to protect your
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