BUSINESS
There is still a sort-of‘ alpha male( or female)’ mentality where people don’ t want to report that they are tired, and we really need to change that.”
Technological solutions
As the mining industry enters the age of information, companies are embracing new concepts like the Internet of Things( IoT), or Industry 4.0. This means that technology is creeping in everywhere, including the area of fatigue management, and management of big data is becoming routine to environmental health and safety( EHS) managers, as are duties related to employee health and safety.
One of the systems on the market is offered by Predictive Safety, which has introduced a system( known as PRISM) that uses leading indicators, real-time inputs and predictive analytics to provide advanced warning when employees enter high-risk behaviour zones.
According to Predictive Safety’ s Marcus Wichmann, PRISM, or Predictive Risk Intelligent Safety Module, improves site safety and compliance by providing a powerful, non-intrusive monitoring platform to predict and prevent the fatigue risk of each and every employee, before an accident can occur. Using a proprietary algorithm that predicts when fatigue will occur, the system alerts the worker as to when he will become fatigued. It then offers countermeasures to mitigate the effects of fatigue. In the case of unexpected events outside of the work environment, PRISM gives the employee the option to‘ test out’ with an alertness evaluation so that his fatigue level reflects a more accurate assessment. Studies the company has undertaken show that PRISM is accurate in calculating and predicting realtime episodes of fatigue up to four hours in advance.
Pixabay Pixabay
Fatigue is a critical safety issue affecting many South African mines.
Too much sugar before going on night shift can cause a blood sugar crash and result in tired workers.
“ When operations introduce a fatigue identification and management process, the measures must not be punitive.”
Pixabay
One of the primary factors responsible for ongoing fatigue is undiagnosed medical conditions.
QUARRY SA | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 _ 11