Smart technology sets trend in mine safety

Mechanization is the developing trend adopted by mining operations and safety supervision, officials from safety supervising authorities said at a news conference on Friday.

Wang Sufeng, a senior official of the National Mine Safety Administration, said that to build intelligent mines across the country, mining companies have used the internet and machines to automatically operate the mining processes.

Shandong province, Shaanxi province, Henan province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region have adopted intelligent mines pilot projects in their key mines.

"High risk work has been done by machines instead of coal miners who just remotely control and adjust machines when they go wrong. Workers no longer need to do heavy labor, but only need to do mental work which is much safer," she said.

Wei Pingyan, an official with the Ministry of Emergency Management, said supervising authorities will have direct access to surveillance videos of mining sites and will be able analyze risks.

Through video recognition technology, authorities can analyze dangerous behaviors such as personnel being off duty, workers not wearing helmets after entering the workspace and recognize places with potential fire risks, he said.