MINE LIGHTING
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Seeing the mine differently
Lighting in mining has always been viewed as a necessity- a box to tick on the pre-start checklist, another component to maintain. But over years spent in the field, visiting mine sites across continents, Mike Judd, Global Mining Subject Matter Expert, Vision X Lighting told IM that he has come to see lighting not as a passive element of equipment, but as an active influence on safety, productivity, and operator performance.“ When you stand next to a haul truck crawling through dust at night or see the glare bouncing off a wet haul road in the middle of a rainstorm, you begin to understand just how much light defines the way operators experience their environment.”
He adds:“ For years, the industry has pushed for brighter and brighter LEDs. We all chased lumen numbers, wattage, and beam reach- and for good reason. Early LED systems had to prove they could match or surpass the legacy HID and halogen lamps they replaced. But as LED technology matured, we began asking different questions: not‘ How bright can it get?’ but‘ How useful is that light in the operator’ s world?’ That shift in thinking has guided our most recent advancements- not toward more light, but toward better light.”
He says one of the most consistent pieces of feedback Vision X Lighting has heard from operators is about glare.“ When LEDs first entered mining, their output and colour temperature were impressive- crisp, bright, daylight white. But anyone who has driven a haul truck on a wet or dusty road knows that brightness isn’ t always clarity. Light scatter, reflection, and contrast loss can make bright conditions more fatiguing, not less. We started noticing a pattern: operators were instinctively adjusting their working habits to compensate for lighting. Some preferred running fewer lamps to avoid glare.”
He says others complained about not being able to see the road edge when meeting another truck head-on. It wasn’ t a matter of illumination power- it was a matter of control.
That realisation sparked the development of Vision X’ s Anti-Glare optic design.“ Instead of spreading light as widely and
The Vision X Tremor haul truck lamp
intensely as possible, we focused on shaping it- directing the beam precisely where it was needed while shielding the oncoming view from excess brightness. It required rethinking lens geometry, reflector angles, and cutoff management. The result wasn’ t just a softer light- it was a more disciplined light.”
Now, when two trucks pass each other at night, the operators maintain their visual focus instead of losing it to
Mine lighting today is increasingly focused on illumination from the operator’ s perspective and their quality of sight – this maturity in dealing with issues like glare and dust is also making for safer operations, reports Paul Moore
glare. Maintenance crews on the ground are less exposed to harsh spill light. And site managers Judd says have reported a noticeable reduction in light-related complaints.“ That’ s the kind of feedback that tells us we’ re solving the right problem.”
The anti-glare optic technology has completed a full fleet retrofit 18 months ago at a large surface mine in Eastern Canada using Vision X’ s previous top-tier lamp, the Blacktips.“ Since installation, the reliability and operations teams have continued to
Tremor truck lamp photometric lab report. The data illustrates how, when mounted 90 ° from the equipment face, the lamp produces zero upward light spill, while the top view shows the full beam width and coverage
International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2025