An overview of underground coal miner electronic tracking system technologies

Since the passage of the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act (MINER Act) of 2006, several electronic tracking systems that inform personnel on the surface of a coal mine about the location of miners underground have become commercially available. These systems can be broadly categorized into technology groups that are described in this paper. In addition, several other technologies have been identified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) that show promise to increase location accuracy, reduce installed infrastructure, or otherwise improve the performance of existing systems. This paper will describe tracking system technologies currently installed in US coal mines and discuss some emerging technologies.