Mines are unique operating environments with highly specific health and safety challenges. In particular, underground mining operations typically experience low-visibility conditions and light pollution from flashlights, vehicle lights and reflective strips on equipment and clothing, making traditional security and safety monitoring difficult.
These were some of the challenges facing Jiangzhuang Coal Mine in the Shangdong Province of China, which covers an underground area of 43 square kilometers, and produces more than 1.8 million tons of coal each year. The top priority for the mine’s management team is worker safety, and working practices and production are monitored 24 hours a day to minimize accident risks.
Kong Qingwei, Director of the Jiangzhuang Coal Mine Dispatch Office, says, “We need to respond immediately to unsafe situations in the mine, whether they are caused by environmental factors, poorly performing machines, or employees not following authorized work procedures.”
Although the mine invests heavily in safety training and equipment for workers, its aging security system made health and safety monitoring difficult in key areas of the mine. “Our previous security system required us to monitor around 30 screens, 24 hours a day, often with sub-optimal image quality caused by low-light conditions or light pollution,” says Kong Qingwei. “This made our jobs extremely difficult and tiring, as well as impacting our ability to respond to safety issues quickly enough.”
Maximizing worker safety with Hikvision’s intelligent video technology
To address its health and safety challenges, Jiangzhuang Coal Mine has implemented an intelligent video security and control system from Hikvision.
The Hikvision solution supports crystal-clear video imaging, even in low-light conditions, or where light pollution is created by lights or reflective strips. This quality and clarity of imaging ensures that hidden risks can be identified more quickly and easily, allowing the safety team to respond more quickly and to protect workers in all areas of the mine.