Technology, particularly the Internet of Things (IoT), will increasingly become critical in the quest for zero harm in South Africa’s mining sector.

Often facing criticism for its poor safety record and high number of fatalities, South Africa’s mining conditions are steadily improving, and the proper use of technology could be a major boost for safety at mining operations, says T-Systems South Africa security specialist sales executive Lukas van der Merwe.

“It goes without saying that safety is crucial in mining. If anything goes wrong, people can die,” he reiterates.

He cites the 2018 industry statistics released by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy that show the sector recorded a 10% decrease in fatalities, compared with 2017.

“During the first two months of 2019, five fatalities were reported across South African mines, compared with 14 over the same period in the previous year. “This represents a shift of 69%, which suggests the sector is improving its safety record,” Van der Merwe says.

However, despite the improvements, the statistics show that the fatalities were still higher in 2017 and 2018 than in 2016.

“More can be done to improve the industry’s safety record.”

The application of IoT in any industrial setting has significant potential to address the wellbeing of employees, as well as monitor and control air quality, temperature, pressure, impact or vibration.

“IoT can help track where miners are in the event of a disaster, pinpoint where to look for them in case of a collapse, as well as help in understanding when air quality becomes dangerous, and pre-empt possible events based on seismic detection,” he points out.

“While technology can do a lot to improve safety, it is important to make the connection between technology, cybersecurity and the physical safety of mineworkers,” he adds, highlighting that the higher cybersecurity risk, the more mining operations automate.

The integration of IoT and connected devices on an operational technology (OT) network, which is used to control physical processes, devices and infrastructure within an industrial environment, has opened up the previously completely isolated and closed system to a network that is remotely managed and accessible from anywhere, at any time.

This increases the risk of cyberthreats and the possibility that these devices can be hacked.

“Many OT systems have been installed haphazardly over the past few years, with engineers often not knowing exactly what has been deployed, or which devices have been connected to the Internet,” warns T-Systems South Africa new business sales executive Jeanette Jacobs.

“We have reached a point where the proliferation of these devices has reached a critical mass in terms of the exposure it brings to the environment and is outside the engineers’ control or knowledge. “So, this is where we need to look at information technology cyberthreats that impact the OT environment.”

While caution should always prevail, there are several solutions to secure the network, including services and offerings that can scan the entire operational network and identify any and all potential threats and vulnerabilities to specific devices.

“Aside from the risks, the opportunities and benefits of IoT in mining are immense,” concludes Van der Merwe.