Close to heart on mine safety: Sudbury mining supplier creates simple and safe solutions.

• Author: Larmour, Adelle
• Position: SUDBURY

There are events in people's lives that have such profound effects that they are moved to take action. Robert Lamond, president of CTL Industries Inc., and a 32-year veteran of the mining industry, was compelled to act on one of 10 recommendations from an inquest following his son's death in a mining accident several years ago.

CTL Industries, named after his son Chad Thomas Lamond, is a division of Hard-Line Solutions Inc., a Sudbury-based mining supplier specializing in underground digital communications and remote-operated equipment. Under Hard-Line Solution's president Walter Sigglekow's expertise and guidance, Lamond has developed a series of visual and auditory safety warning devices for the underground mining environment.

"I looked at the recommendations and thought, there has to be something done about this," Lamond said. "I came to Walter with the problem and asked him: 'What can we do about this?' I knew there was enough technology out there. We just had to put the right pieces in the right places."

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With the conviction to make it right, Lamond and Hard-Line's team of experts are developing two warning safety systems for the full-body harness that workers are regulated to wear when around a "fall zone," any area or opening where a worker could fall more than three metres.

The first system, a fall-down alarm, is an auditory warning device attached to the safety harness that would trigger an alarm if a worker has fallen, immediately warning others. It will help expedite the rescue, reducing suspension trauma to the individual.

The second system, a fall prevention monitor, detects a "tagged" worker through the use of radio frequencies and emits a warning signal as the person approaches a fall zone.

'As the worker enters the danger zone, he or she hears continuous beeps," Lamond said. 'As he gets closer to the fall zone, the intensity increases up until which time the person ties off."

A newer technology that uses higher radio frequencies can adjust the range in which a worker can be detected. It also produces a more consistent signal, which is an advantage in a harsh underground mine environment. Both products are about six months from completion, but Lamond has not stopped there.

His drive to improve the mining environment has led to other innovative products that focus on simplifying work. Lamond created an integrated series of products and processes called shaft guide electronic profiling, cutting and...