Avoiding accidents underground.

• Author: Stewart, Nick
• Position: Occupational safety and health

Given the twists and turns of darkened mine shafts, underground vehicle operators aren't always able to notice nearby vehicles or people. In an attempt to avoid the costly and at times deadly accidents that can come as a result, a Sudbury-based company has developed an advanced warning system.

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"We've developed a collision avoidance system that's different from any other one," says Wayne Ablitt, co-owner of Jannatec Radio Systems. "Most avoidance systems are visual, an external light will go off or the (system is an) audio, but the problem is that nearby individuals can become numb to it. So we developed two-way collision avoidance, so that if you have two vehicles approaching one spot, each notifies the other."

Measuring six inches long by three and a half inches wide by two inches high, the small rectangular Jannatec Advanced Warning System (JAWS) unit is small enough to be easily attached to various vehicles, with the exact location depending on the type of vehicle.

For example, a Jeep will have the small unit attached to the dashboard, not far from the operator, enabling them to see the four small lights that comprise the physical component of the warning system, which functions through the use of radio frequencies.

"Inside these boxes is a 900 mHz tranceiver," says Jason Buie, designer. "They spend most of their time sitting idle and listening for everybody else, but a few times a second, they come up and transmit a signal. Another unit sees something on its channel, and if the signal strength is high enough, it determines what kind of hazard it is and displays it appropriately on the unit."

Each of the unit's colored lights represents a different hazard for which the operator needs to be aware, with a flashing light representing the nearby proximity of multiple instances of that type. An approaching vehicle in the immediate area will trigger a blue light on both vehicles via a radio frequency "handshake." The presence of numerous vehicles will cause the blue light on each vehicle's unit to flash. In a similar fashion, the unit can also detect and appropriately identify the presence of people who have the proper circuitry installed in their cap lamps as well as non-passable vehicles who possess the right of way, such as 50-ton haulage trucks.

In an attempt to...