FATIGUE MONITORING
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Fatigue management and monitoring continue to bring safety wins in mining , and are increasingly seen as part of an overall operator awareness suite along with collision avoidance technology , reports Paul Moore
Earlier this year , IM conducted an in-depth fatigue management interview with Caterpillar Inc ., which supports site safety with technology to see , mitigate and manage fatigue and distraction on site . The Cat ® MineStar™ Driver Safety System ( DSS ) comes under the global OEM ’ s MineStar Detect suite of solutions and uses a high-tech camera to monitor eye-closure duration and head pose , then instantly alerts operators via seat vibration and an audio alarm alert the moment fatigue or distraction is identified .
MineStar DSS is one of the leading fatigue detection systems globally . Sean McGinnis , Vice President and General Manager of Technology and Global Sales Support at Caterpillar told IM : “ The market has been growing faster in the past few years as mines focus ever more closely on safety . Since 2021 , Caterpillar fatigue management system units running globally have increased 80 %. This includes use in both mining fleets and support equipment such as light vehicles , mobile maintenance vehicles and buses that are also being used on mine properties . And this support equipment part of the market is really a big focus now . Support equipment vehicles are equipped with a similar solution from the MineStar Detect portfolio for light vehicle applications called Guardian 2 which was initially designed for fatigue and distraction monitoring in off-highway vehicles .”
So the MineStar DSS footprint continues to grow . But the solution is not standing still – McGinnis : “ Today ’ s offering , what we call DSS 5.0 , which is deploying in the market now , has some fairly significant upgrades to the underlying algorithms that relate to head position tracking , eye closure tracking and facial recognition . This is backed up by an improved camera that has enhanced granularity particularly in relation to the eye tracking .”
McGinnis also gave some insight into how much better and smarter the camera systems are becoming . “ Today we can detect if an eye closure is just due to dryness or itching for example , as opposed to an unplanned or uncontrolled eye closure related to fatigue .”
He adds on the market itself : “ A lot of the focus now is not just on support equipment but also the mid-tier miners – including industrial minerals operations and quarries with smaller fleets and smaller classes of machines . Their operators still get tired – it is just that the first wave of fatigue management system deployment – not just from us but from other players – was in the large mines , most of which now have some kind of system installed , whether predictive or reactive or both .”
What about the argument that there is a lot of resistance in some mining regions to having a
Caterpillar sees the potential for a comprehensive and integrated solution that will combine predictive and reactive fatigue analysis along with machine data and driving behaviour data from the wider MineStar Detect suite as well as collision avoidance technology camera-based system ? “ The response is often initially cautious with some pushback , just as it is with technologies like collision avoidance and autonomy but it comes down to proper change management . There is a fear that operators are constantly being watched or that the way they drive is being controlled . But once they get experience with the technology , particularly when there is a fatigue event and need to keep the operator safe , operators soon realise how crucial it is . Also , fatigue has been such a huge issue for mining for so long , for many it is also a relief to get a solution in place .”
He adds : “ They soon understand that there isn ’ t a constant video feed where someone can sit and watch operators drive the entire time . Short video clips get transmitted to the Cat DSS Monitoring Center just for the analysis to confirm if the operator is awake or fatigued , and if they are distracted or not . Once operators realise supervisors can ’ t log in and watch them drive at any time , and that the system is 100 % there for their safety and wellbeing , opposition including from unions quickly fades away . MineStar DSS is not intended to be used to discipline or punish an operator .”
What are McGinnis ’ views on predictive versus reactive ? “ We have no issue with mines using both predictive and reactive technologies . One is not necessarily better than the other , as they are doing different things and give you different kinds of information . For us , predictive data has always been more of an assessment tool rather than a commercial offering . It gives us some insight into the customer ’ s higher risk points but the issue is that it is very hard to gauge accurately the eventual outcome of the predictive data as there are just so many factors in play . MineStar DSS may be a reactive system , but it doesn ’ t care when you are tired or why you are tired – it ’ s always there . Also , the predictive systems mainly involve a wearable – a physical interaction with the operator – with MineStar DSS you just get in the truck and drive . We feel the future for predictive analysis also must look at the machine behaviour – the types of steering wheel adjustments you are making , how hard you are braking , etc – and combine that with the operator ’ s tiredness data as well as the MineStar DSS for a comprehensive solution .”
Ultimately , McGinnis sees the potential for a comprehensive and integrated solution that will combine predictive and reactive fatigue analysis along with machine data and driving behaviour data from the wider MineStar Detect suite as well as collision avoidance technology that could
34 International Mining | JANUARY 2025