MINE SAFETY just benefit workers; it fosters efficiency and reinforces operational excellence.”
Warning systems for all stakeholders
Telegrafia is doing its own bit to increase site-based visibility of potential safety issues at mining operations, leveraging its in-house software, firmware and hardware to engineer warning systems that respect site-specific operational requirements while integrating with existing monitoring, control and emergency management infrastructure.
“ This flexibility is particularly valuable in open-pit mining,” the company says.“ Unlike fixed industrial facilities, open pits change continuously throughout their operational life. Warning points often need to be relocated as mining progresses, requiring systems that remain easy to deploy, simple to operate and capable of maintaining reliable coverage across large operational areas.”
Portable electronic sirens help here, able to operate for weeks or even months without connection to the mains power supply while remaining fully integrated into a site’ s overall warning infrastructure.“ They can also be controlled locally when operational requirements demand it,” the company said.
Rapidly changing environmental hazards are one issue mining operations must contend with in the deployment of such warning systems.
At Anglo American’ s Quellaveco copper mine in Peru, electronic warning systems from Telegrafia support lightning warning procedures by notifying personnel before electrical storms reach operational areas, allowing established safety procedures to be implemented before conditions become hazardous.
Tailings storage facilities present a different scale of challenge, according to the company.
“ Potentially affected zones frequently extend well beyond the mine itself, requiring warning systems capable of protecting both employees and downstream communities,” the company said.“ Large-scale installations may comprise dozens or even hundreds of strategically positioned electronic sirens integrated with dam monitoring systems and other safety technologies, enabling coordinated detection, decision making and public warning.”
Hundreds of Telegrafia Pavian sirens support mining operations across South America, Africa and other regions worldwide, including installations for Lundin Mining, Vale, BHP, Southern Copper Corporation, Cementos Argos, Glencore, Newmont and Anglo American.
“ These applications range from portable warning systems supporting active mining operations to large-scale warning
19 HÖRMANN Warnsysteme sirens were recently installed at Mineração Morro do Ipê, in Brazil, as a precautionary measure to warn the population in the potential danger zone of its tailings dam
infrastructure protecting communities downstream of tailings storage facilities,” the company explained.
ECN-D sirens in place at MMI
Still in Brazil, HÖRMANN Warnsysteme sirens have been installed at Mineração Morro do Ipê( MMI) as a precautionary measure to warn the population in the potential danger zone of its tailings dam.
The 19 sirens are connected to sensors and are automatically triggered in the event of a dam breach, HÖRMANN said.
The high operational reliability of the German manufacturer’ s sirens was a decisive factor in the decision to choose HÖRMANN, according to the company. The project was completed in less than six months, from concept development to installation.
A geotechnical reassessment revealed that the flood zone at the dam owned by MMI had increased significantly, necessitating the installation of 12 additional sirens.
MMI decided to replace the seven existing sirens from another manufacturer with new sirens from HÖRMANN Warning Systems, with all 19 ECN-D sirens installed by HÖRMANN’ s partner, EKM do Brasil.
The ECN-D sirens can communicate with and be triggered by the control centre via both digital radio and Wi-Fi, the company explained. This redundant communication path ensures reliable triggering even if one communication medium fails.
Each siren is also monitored by video, with the MCE gateway – the communication centre of a siren warning system that consists of several sirens – equipped with two relays. In the event of a dam breach, the MCE automatically triggers the Brumadinho area with nine sirens and the Igarapé area with 10 sirens, either individually or together. For this purpose, the siren control centre was connected to MMI’ s geotechnical monitoring systems at the dam.
Björkdalsgruvan to take next digitalisation step
Underground, real-time situational awareness is becoming a critical part of modern mining operations, with the Björkdalsgruvan mine in Sweden recently improving transparency at its own underground operation.
A new partnership with Mobilaris Industrial Solutions will see the tech provider deliver the Mobilaris Site solution to enhance safety and coordination of the daily operations at Björkdalsgruvan, which is one of Sweden’ s most established gold mining operations.
Owned by Alkane Resources, the mine combines underground mining with ongoing exploration and long-term development ambitions, supported by continuous investments in safety, operational efficiency and sustainable production.
With continued development ambitions, Björkdalsgruvan is taking the next step in its digitalisation journey together with Mobilaris. Through the collaboration, the modern and scalable Mobilaris Site™ solution will be deployed for real-time situational awareness across the mining site.
Mobilaris Site is a technologyagnostic solution designed for industrial environments, covering areas above and below ground, as well as indoors. By combining different positioning technologies and live operational data from various sources, the solution supports smarter decision making and improves visibility of workgroups, vehicles, equipment and ongoing activities throughout the site, the company claims. It does so through one unified, intuitive 3D visual view.
Hans Wahlquist, Chief Business Development Officer at Mobilaris, said the company’ s role is to deliver a solution that is easy to get started with, creates value quickly and can scale as the needs grow.
“ Mining digitalisation succeeds when technology is closely connected to the realities of the operations,” he explained.“ That’ s why we look forward to spending time on site, working closely with the Björkdalsgruvan team and ensuring that our solution supports both safety and daily decision making.”
International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2026 55