Navigating miners during an evacuation using smart evacuation technology can significantly decrease the evacuation time of an underground mine in case of emergency hazards. This paper presents a mathematical programming model to calculate the most efficient escape path for miners as a critical component of smart evacuation technology. In this model, the total evacuation distance of the crew is minimized and scenarios with blocked pathways and stamina categories for the miners are simulated. The findings revealed that all the tested scenarios were technically feasible. Using the feature that filters out blocked pathways has no downsides as safer routes are calculated and there is no penalty in the computation time. This paper also discusses the social and technical issues that must be resolved before the algorithm can be implemented as an actual escape solution.@en

Satisfying safety issues plays a critical role in mining operations. Although the use of emerging technology became a new trend in preventing powered haulage hazards in the mining industry, these technologies themselves posed new hazards to the problem that are necessary to be identified, assessed, and managed together with common hazards. This study investigates the existing gaps in powered haulage safety to establish a comprehensive framework for conducting risk analysis procedures. To achieve this purpose, a literature search methodology is employed to recognize the most relevant resources and extract the essential information. The most critical hazards in powered haulage operations are identified and classified into main groups. Then, root causes and consequences are designated for these hazards, providing substantial elements for risk analysis, which serves as an effective hazard measurement. Afterward, an overview of popular risk analysis techniques applied in the mining industry is provided to establish a holistic risk analysis framework. Finally, available hazard management strategies are discussed as solutions for mitigating and preventing potential hazards. The study results demonstrated the importance of establishing comprehensive safety protocols, continuously upgrading the advanced technologies, regular training, and continuous risk assessment to mitigate and prevent fatal and non-fatal hazards in mining operations.

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