Health & Environment Monitoring and Alerting System for Mine Workers: From Proof of Concept to Experimental Validation

The vulnerability of miners' health and livelihoods is a critical issue that requires acute attention, particularly concerning the working environment and its long-term consequences. Innovative technologies are necessary to increase operation conditions and reduce mining costs while prioritizing the safety of miners. In underground mining, multiple factors, such as vibration, temperature, sound, humidity, underground pressure, and other environmental conditions, must be considered to ensure the safety and well-being of miners. However, many mine companies are not practising the safety standards due to the higher implementation costs. Thus, this article proposes a solution to this problem using long-range wireless (LoRa), which immediately transmits a crisis alarm from the mining worker's personal protective equipment (PPE) to the control room if a worker falls due to unfavourable environmental conditions. This will ensure that the mine workers can swiftly evacuate the area and seek hideout in the designated safety shelters, thus minimizing the potential risks associated with mining operations.