Anglo American trials new remote control dozer technology to improve safety

Mining giant Anglo American is trialling new technology to improve dozer safety following 19 rollovers across Queensland mines in the past year.

Capcoal General Manager George Karooz. Anglo American is trialling new technology involving a remote-controlled stockpile dozer ahead of plans to retrofit the entire fleet.

Mining giant Anglo American is trialling new technology that will improve dozer safety following 19 rollovers across Queensland mines in 12 months, which prompted a stern warning from the resources watchdog.

Dozer operators at the company’s Capcoal Complex, near Middlemount, are currently in training on a remote-controlled stockpile dozer ahead of plans to retrofit the entire fleet at the site.

“I’m excited because this is the first time remote control dozer technology has been used at Anglo American operations,” Capcoal Mine general manager George Karooz said.

Under this pilot a stockpile dozer is retrofitted with the latest Wi-Fi enabled technology to set up connectivity between the machine and operator chair in the control centre.

Anglo American is trialling new technology involving a remote-controlled stockpile dozer ahead of plans to retrofit the entire fleet.

This allows workers to operate remotely using joystick feedback, cameras, microphones and a tilting chair to mimic the feel of being on the stockpile.

Acting automation operations manager Matthew Wakeford said the transition had taken nine months of planning.

“We are re-imagining mining to improve people’s lives,” Mr Wakeford said.

“We are starting with small steps as our workers adjust from the ‘feeling’ of manual operation to remote control with cameras and computer screens.

Remote Control Dozer operator Wes Sann.

“We already have microphones in the machine sending the sound back to the operators along with six cameras on the dozer itself – as well as cameras around the stockpile which can all be adjusted remotely.

“We are now looking at whether we can adapt the chair to tilt and provide movement feedback through the joystick the same way our operators would sense the stockpile beneath when manually operating the dozer.”

Anglo American is trialling new technology involving a remote-controlled stockpile dozer ahead of plans to retrofit the entire fleet.

Mr Wakeford said this new technology would remove coal miners “from the hazards of working with voids in our coal stockpiles”.

“We’re starting with just one dozer, but the plan is to ramp up and retrofit the entire fleet – that’s 13 in total across our Capcoal and Moranbah operations,” he said.

Coal handling and processing plant dozer operators are the first to gain experience operating tele-remote dozers as part of a pilot program to reduce exposure to concealed stockpile voids.

Once rolled out across Anglo American’s five steelmaking coal mines across the Bowen Basin the pilot technology will reduce in-cab dozer exposure time by 45,000, to 75,000 hours a year.

“Upskilling our workers in this new technology is paramount to its success because their expertise is irreplaceable, even when the work is done remotely,” Mr Karooz said.

“Operating our fleet of dozers from a safe distance will reduce the number of hours in the cab and fully remove our operators from the dozer seat in what is another significant advancement in autonomous mining.”

The project was on Friday named as a finalist in both the innovation and safety categories at the Queensland Mining Awards to be held in Mackay in July.

It was also named a finalist in the innovation category at the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference awards on the Gold Coast in August.

Originally published as Anglo American trials new remote control dozer technology to improve safety