MINE RESCUE & SAFETY
• Integrating safety monitoring with existing infrastructure: Oyu Tolgoi operates its own FactoryTalk monitoring platform, which required integration with any new safety solutions provided by MineARC; and
• Ensuring comprehensive environmental monitoring and chamber sustainability: With significant equipment demands on power supply, the mine needed a solution to monitor external gas levels, guarantee prolonged chamber sustainability and manage emergency egress.
“ MineARC’ s customised solutions addressed Oyu Tolgoi’ s challenges through a tailored approach, aligning with the mine’ s high safety standards and enhancing overall operational resilience,” MineARC says. Its GuardIAN Remote Chamber Monitoring( RCM) system was deployed across both new and existing refuge chambers. The RCM system comes with integrated RFID Tag Readers, CCTV Cameras, Radio, Wi-Fi, Radio, Personnel Tracking Systems and Personnel Accounting Display to assist with real-time personnel tracking. It was also able to connect to Oyu Tolgoi’ s underground network to enable constant communication and monitoring of chamber diagnostics. A further integration with the mine’ s Emergency Management Systems minimises the time taken to account for personnel in an emergency, MineARC claims.
The RCM system also has capabilities to monitor compressed air availability and other critical systems, allowing for immediate accounting and safety assessments during emergencies.
MineARC said:“ This comprehensive upgrade significantly improved Oyu Tolgoi’ s ability to monitor both personnel and equipment in real time, reducing response times and enhancing overall safety within the underground environment.”
Rescue chamber flexibility
David Maust, General Manager of Refuge Chambers for Strata Worldwide, says underground operations have discovered that it is imperative to have a contingency plan in place for the possibility of an unforeseen event that leaves miners unable to evacuate.
“ The necessity to supply a source of breathable air, isolated from the surrounding atmosphere, has led to the development and expansion of emergency refuge alternatives in many underground facilities around the world,” he said.
Strata has several refuge solutions it offers the industry, all of which are customisable to differing regulations and mining company requirements.
In 2020, Strata introduced the ERCX- Next-generation Emergency Refuge
Chamber: a steel, walk-in chamber with capacities ranging from six to 26 people.
This chamber is designed for mining and tunnelling applications, with a highly flexible design that enables that customisation. Strata said:“ Certain countries and mining communities require a 15 psi roof fall rating, or a 15 psi blast overpressure rating, and the structure of the ERCX can be manufactured to meet these.”
An airlock compartment – required by some countries – is an optional feature that mines can include in the structure of the chambers. Chambers with an airlock can then have either a secondary internal door or a heavy-duty plastic curtain, with some countries mandating one or the other.
Strata has sold a significant number of chambers into Brazil to meet the regulatory requirements, which have recently been revised and now require mines to have chambers situated closer to the working section.
A copper mine in Brazil, for instance, ordered a collection of 20-person units, and a silver mine ordered 8-person units. All chambers sold included wheel and hitch packages, airlock compartments with curtains, air conditioning units and gas monitoring equipment for CO, O 2 and CO 2, Strata said.
The 8-person chamber in the silver mine will not be connected to the mine’ s main air and power sources, so will remain standalone with 48 hours of on-board breathable air and battery power.
As a standard design, Strata includes a separate bank of batteries to operate the AC units, so as to prevent the depletion of battery power designated to run the primary life-supporting systems of the chamber.
“ Most uniquely, the ERCX can be manufactured and transported in segments and assembled underground if the mine has shaft size or handling restrictions,” the company says.
Such is the case with a large mine in Ghana that ordered a total of eight chambers, ranging from 6-person to 20-person capacity, with each chamber manufactured in sections to enable operations to lower the individual sections down the mine’ s vertical shaft, under the cage. Each of these chambers is equipped with 36 hours of air and battery power, and they will be connected to the mine’ s main air and power resources.
In 2024, Strata released a new, economical and versatile lightweight chamber called the Emergency Refuge Chamber Modular( ERCM). This chamber is manufactured in sections by design and can be assembled before or after delivery to the mine / tunnel project.
Significant benefits of the ERCM and its lightweight modular design are the
A mine in Peru recently decided to purchase one of Strata’ s 6-person-capacity Emergency Refuge Chamber Modular’ s due to the inherent flexibility it offers
resulting manufacturing economies and the greater sizing flexibility. The modular design provides the option to order chambers to meet an operation’ s existing capacity requirements, and then allows for future modifications. Additional seating can be added to increase capacity as needed, resulting in a unit that can be adapted to meet the changing needs of the project and size of the workforce, Strata says.
A mine in Peru purchased an ERCM for this specific reason. The chamber is currently a 6-person unit with an air conditioner and an airlock compartment with a secondary door. It includes 72-hours of on-board breathable air and battery back-up, with the chamber connected to the mine’ s main power and compressed air supplies. The mine anticipates expanding the seating capacity of the unit in the future.
“ Although this unit was transported already assembled, shipping multiple chambers in sections allows for better packing abilities, which can result in fewer containers needed,” Strata said.
Tackling underground mine fires
Ten years ago, the first Mine Rescue Vehicle( MRV) 9000 was introduced and soon became a game-changer in underground mine rescue technology, Paus says.
Since then, the MRV 9000 has proven its value in numerous underground operations worldwide, becoming a main part of modern mine safety strategies.
The MRV 9000 was designed to close a critical gap in emergency response: transporting trapped miners from underground refuge chambers safely and efficiently back to the shaft.
20 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2025