Turning to a more advanced way of monitoring fatigue and distraction, Southern Copper Company (an in-direct subsidiary of Grupo Mexico) has installed OpGuard systems on its mine fleet at La Caridad mine in Mexico.
With the installation of the OpGuard system, Southern Copper Company expects a decrease in safety incidents and operating costs as well as an increase in equipment availability. The OpGuard operator fatigue and alertness monitoring system uses a non-intrusive infrared camera to monitor the operator’s eye closure and head movements for signs of fatigue and distraction. When a fatigue or distracted-driving event is detected the operator is immediately alerted by in-cab audio alerts and seat vibration.
Located 23km south-east of Nacozari de Garcia, Mexico, the open-pit mining operation produces copper, molybdenum, gold and silver. Initially mined back in the 1800’s, La Caridad reopened in 1979 and had an annual production of more than 126Kt of copper in 2014, contributing to Grupo Mexico’s ranking as one of the top ten largest copper producers in the world. La Caridad currently employs more than 1,000 people at its mine site.
Grupo Mexico has 14 mines and exploration projects across Mexico, Peru, US, Chile, Ecuador and Argentina. GuardVant solutions are currently used at three other Southern Copper Company mines: Buenavista, Toquepala, and Cuajone.
Visit GuardVant at MINExpo International 2016 booth #27015. OpGuard will be demonstrated on a Liebherr haul truck cab.