Every miner accounted for. Every machine utilised.
For underground and open-pit mining. We design and deliver miner-tracking, vehicle-collision-avoidance, refuge-chamber accountability, blast-zone exclusion, and equipment-utilisation programmes.
Compliant with ICMM proximity-detection guidance, MSHA expectations, and ATEX/IECEx where applicable. Hardware-agnostic across UWB, LoRa, RFID, and active RFID under regulated conditions.
Mining: the use case, and the numbers it moves.
The right radio for each job — chosen, never sold — mapped to your use case. That is what makes the ROI fast.
1 · Tag
People and vehicles are tagged for collision avoidance.
2 · Locate
Real-time position underground and across the surface site.
3 · Protect
Proximity and mustering alerts keep crews safe.
Active RFID → proximity · UWB → precision · LoRa → wide-area
What we keep seeing in mining operations.
Muster headcount is paper-based
When the siren goes, the supervisor walks the muster point with a clipboard. Minutes pass before anyone knows whether the headcount matches the shift roster. The regulator wants seconds, not minutes.
Haul-truck utilisation is invisible
Dispatch radios estimate position, idle time, and payload. Actual fleet utilisation only surfaces in the monthly report — long after the productivity ran out the gate.
Blast clearance relies on the radio
Clearance to fire depends on a verbal “all clear” chain. One missed acknowledgement and the zone is hot with someone still in it. The system needs to interlock, not trust.
The use cases that consistently pay back.
Miner location & mustering
Every miner accounted for at the muster point within seconds, audit-trailed for the regulator.
Proximity detection & blast exclusion
Interlocked with the blast schedule; no one in the zone when it goes hot.
Vehicle & equipment utilisation
Haul-truck fleet utilisation, dispatch optimisation, payload analytics.
Refuge-chamber accountability
Chamber occupancy verified, capacity managed.
Maintenance & spare-parts traceability
RFID at the workshop and surface stores.
Energy & ventilation-on-demand
Ventilation triggered by people and vehicles actually present, not schedule.
Hardware & software ecosystem
Mobilaris · Newtrax · Strata · Mine Site Technologies · Inpixon · Ubisense · Impinj · LoRa Alliance member fleets
Where we plug in
Modular Mining DISPATCH · Wenco · Hexagon MineOperate · SAP S/4HANA · Pi historians · ventilation-on-demand controllers · blast-management systems
What good looks like at site level.
What we design and document to
ICMM proximity-detection guidance · MSHA Part 75 expectations · ATEX 2014/34/EU · IECEx · ISO 19296 (mobile machines) · ISO 17757 (autonomous and semi-autonomous earth-moving) · intrinsic-safety (IS) certified hardware where mandated
Mining — where the payback shows up.
Underground mustering & SOS
Every miner accounted for at the muster point within seconds and audit-trailed for the regulator, with SOS and refuge-chamber occupancy.
Vehicle collision avoidance
Proximity detection between people and haul trucks reduces near-misses and lost-time injuries in active zones.
Equipment utilisation & dispatch
Haul-fleet utilisation and dispatch analytics cut idle time and lift tonnes-per-shift.
Underground, knowing exactly who is below and getting them to a muster point fast is everything. ATEX-rated UWB cut our emergency mustering from tens of minutes to near real-time and reduced vehicle-pedestrian near-misses. It stuck because TRACIO specified intrinsically-safe hardware rated for our environment and trained the crews properly.Mine Safety Manager · pan-African mining group · 4 sitesAnonymised at the client’s request. Reference available on request.
Relevant case studies
Common use cases — what we keep seeing.
Underground miner safety and proximity detection
Problem: Underground mining is high-risk; miner-equipment proximity (LHDs, haul trucks) is the leading injury cause.
Tech mix: UWB on miners and equipment, proximity-detection with equipment slowdown, integration with mine SCADA.
Outcome: Proximity-injury events reduced 80%+, mining-regulator compliance, fatal accident risk reduced.
Mustering and emergency response
Problem: Mining sites must verify all personnel are accounted for in emergencies — manual roll-call is slow and error-prone underground.
Tech mix: UWB tags on every miner, RFID at refuge stations, integration with mine emergency-response systems.
Outcome: Mustering verified in <2 min, refuge-station capacity managed, emergency-response time reduced.
Heavy-equipment fleet management
Problem: Mine haul trucks, loaders and dozers represent hundreds of millions in capex; utilisation and PM compliance are critical.
Tech mix: GNSS + telematics on every machine, integration with fleet-management and CMMS, real-time dashboard.
Outcome: Fleet utilisation up 10-20%, unplanned downtime reduced 25%, cost per tonne moved reduced.
Blast-zone clearance verification
Problem: Before blasting, all personnel and equipment must be confirmed clear of blast zone — manual verification is slow and risky.
Tech mix: UWB on personnel and equipment, blast-zone geofence, automated clearance confirmation.
Outcome: Blast-clearance time reduced, blast-incident risk reduced to zero, production efficiency improved.
Tailings dam and pond monitoring
Problem: Tailings facilities have catastrophic failure modes; continuous monitoring is now regulator-mandated post-Brumadinho.
Tech mix: Geotechnical sensors (piezometers, inclinometers, displacement), LoRaWAN backhaul, integration with mine-safety.
Outcome: Real-time tailings-stability monitoring, regulator (GISTM) compliance, catastrophic failure prevention.
Drill-and-blast pattern verification
Problem: Blast patterns must be drilled precisely to spec — variance causes oversize, fines or worse blast outcomes.
Tech mix: GNSS-RTK on drills, real-time pattern compliance, integration with blast-planning.
Outcome: Drill-pattern compliance verified, blast outcomes improved, downstream processing efficiency improved.
Concentrator-plant uptime monitoring
Problem: Mill and concentrator plants are single points of failure; unplanned downtime costs millions per day.
Tech mix: Vibration, temperature, acoustic sensors on critical equipment, LoRaWAN, integration with CMMS.
Outcome: Unplanned downtime reduced 25-40%, throughput up 5-10%, asset-life extended.
Conveyor belt and stockpile management
Problem: Mine conveyors move thousands of tonnes per hour; belt failures and stockpile management require real-time visibility.
Tech mix: Belt-condition monitoring (impact, alignment, temperature), stockpile-level radar, integration with mine SCADA.
Outcome: Belt-failure events reduced, conveyor uptime improved, stockpile blending optimised.
Asset tracking for portable equipment and tools
Problem: Mine sites move thousands of portable items between sites and shifts; tool loss is significant.
Tech mix: Passive RFID on every tool, gate-portal readers at mine-entry/exit, integration with asset-management.
Outcome: Tool-loss reduced 70%+, capital tied up in tools reduced, audit-compliance for licensed tools.
Environmental and dust monitoring
Problem: Mining operations must monitor dust, noise, vibration and water quality for regulator compliance.
Tech mix: Environmental sensors via LoRaWAN, integration with environmental-management and regulator reporting.
Outcome: Real-time environmental compliance, regulator-reporting automated, community-relations improved.
Frequently asked questions
How does RTLS keep miners accounted for?
Real-time location and mustering - including underground where GPS fails - mean every person is accounted for, and a worker in trouble is located fast.
Does it work underground and in harsh conditions?
Yes - rugged UWB, mesh or leaky-feeder-based systems track people and vehicles in tunnels and pits where GNSS does not reach.
Can it improve machine utilisation too?
Yes - the same platform tracks mobile plant and vehicles for utilisation, collision avoidance and maintenance, tying safety and productivity together.
Does it support collision avoidance for heavy vehicles?
Yes - proximity detection between people and heavy machinery is a core mining use case, with escalating alerts and incident logging.
How does it integrate with our systems?
Safety, location and utilisation data feed your control-room, fleet-management and EAM systems for one operational picture.