Company Announcement - The mining industry has come under increased scrutiny over the safety of personnel in mines and the prevention of  situations which contravene the requirements of Sections 54 and 55 of the Mine’s Health & Safety’s Act. Safety is a key concern within the mining industry and outsourcing Lamproom management to the OEM’s in terms of health and safety is a viable and preferred option. This has increased the momentum for advanced products and information systems that have pioneered the way for transformation of the Lamproom function, where it was traditionally used as an "issue of lamps centre" to miners going underground. The Lamproom has evolved into a verification and safety command centre for the control and monitoring/reporting of personnel, safety equipment, legislated requirements and best practices in the mining industry.

The traditional and modest Lamproom has developed into a sophisticated "Safety Control Terminal" .

Safety systems within the Safety Control Terminal will verify that all safety critical equipment which are subjected to functional testing are in good working order before allowing access to the underground environment. Furthermore, a person can be contained in the Lamproom if he/she does not return all their equipment after a shift. The system therefore enhances both safety and security of the daily operations of personnel and equipment. An extensive variety of reports are available that include amongst others, a daily exception report on various pieces of equipment, a backup shaft clearance report as well as allocation and failure reports. The system configuration also offers remote or web-based access which allows management staff as well as mining regulatory bodies to generate these reports from any location linked to the internet.

Schauenburg Systems (Pty) Ltd, an Original Equipment Manufacturer of equipment for mine safety, offers the services of a system integrator with comprehensive turnkey solutions including the full bouquet of multi-disciplinary services and program management methodologies required to ensure a successful and cost effective solution for the full spectrum of Lamproom solutions and management.

The integrated system offered by Schauenburg Systems would typically consist of:
• Caplamps including wireless and digital communication,
• Portable gas detection instruments with "real time" communication up-links,
• Real time personnel location, distress call function and short text messaging,
• Real time asset management and control,
• Verification and live reporting  of vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to pedestrian systems deployment,
• Central information and reporting hub for engineering safety preparedness, as a comprehensive management reporting tool to cater for all Lamproom requirements as imposed by the mining regulatory bodies.

Schauenburg Systems has designed and engineered its offering to the mines to be modular in concept and application. The system can be easily modified to meet mine and site-specific requirements. Schauenburg Systems also offers a complete solution of the layout and design of the SCT. Production is of core value to the mine, and the SCT is designed in such a way that miners can start and end their shifts with no interference or hold up in the SCT.

The increasing complexity of South African mining, results in a greater need for more skilled personnel in the management of the Safety Control Terminal and associated equipment. Schauenburg Systems (Pty) Ltd recognises the need for specialised skills in order to operate and maintain such systems. A trained workforce that leverages OEM expertise provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace and reduces the risk to the mine for operational safety. Skills development programmes have been established to ensure that site personnel are competent to accept ownership and responsibility of the requirements of the Safety Control Terminal.