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EOH Intelligent Infrastructure delivers smarter mining solutions

The mining industries requirement regarding workforce management has evolved from standalone systems to fully integrated turnkey solutions. These solutions are now required to cover all aspects of workforce management from pre-engagement, engagement, value add while employed, payroll and third-party systems integration with health and safety being a priority throughout all these processes. EOH Intelligent Infrastructure Technologies continues to deliver and further develop innovative solutions by integrating existing onsite infrastructure with new technologies to answer the industry’s needs.

“A start-to-end solution, based on a single configurable database that is capable of talking to an entire platform and incorporating all of the essential technologies, such as biometrics, asset tracking, surveillance and so forth, is the main focus of our activities,” explains EOH Intelligent Infrastructure Workforce Technology Lead, Glen Baptiste. The broad skill set available within EOH means that all workforce related functions, such as health management, absenteeism, legal compliance and compensation are included in solutions that are designed to add value, manage costs, synchronise supply chain processes and ultimately enhance customer value. With technology mutating so rapidly and continuously becoming more sophisticated, big businesses have also begun to shy away from outright purchase commitments and are moving towards rental agreements.

Glen Baptiste

“We are seeing a growing trend indicating that the market expects the availability of a full-support rental option on almost all of our equipment and systems,” says Baptiste.

One of the key industries that benefits from these turnkey solutions is the mining sector. With its massive labour force and remote, process driven operations, mining contains many elements of control and regulation that can be streamlined with the right combination of technology, dedicated support and specialised knowledge. EOH Intelligent Infrastructure recognises that the requirement for swift information transfer is becoming more prevalent, particularly in the mining arena. The days of a single purpose time and attendance system that simply controls payroll and offers no further advantages are long gone, integration has become the norm. Biometric technologies are no longer just for tracking, they are now being linked to business intelligence, accounting systems; surveillance cameras are being used for stock control and modest reports in the form of pie charts and bar graphs are being replaced with 3D visual representations incorporating information from multiple business functions.

EOH Intelligent Infrastructure Technologies has recently introduced a number of new products specifically intended to improve the safety of mine workers and to add value to mining or manufacturing operations. These include a real-time electronic manning board that shows in real-time the actual versus planned production resource allocation and presence at the workplace. It also functions as an organisational tool that allows complete groups to be assembled before the start of production and then serves to manage and control these units during the process.

Secondly, EOH Intelligent Infrastructure has identified radio-frequency identification (RFID) as an excellent health and safety tool. RFID involves the use of a wireless non-contact system that employs radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data from a tag attached to an object or person, for the purpose of automatic tracking and identification. In the mining environment this has countless applications. For example, RFID can be used to ensure that miners have all of the required equipment before entering the work site or during the extremely dangerous blasting process, when up to four different technologies are used to ensure that shafts are clear. All this information combined in real-time on a manning board to give a visual representation of the status resources and safety equipment

Another valuable innovation involves the linking of a smart mobile device to a fingerprint reader. This creates a mobile reader containing biometric and cellular technology that is not only capable of being used to accurately pinpoint the whereabouts of workers but also for bio-directional communication. This product has a market in any organisation that is responsible for mobile staff, such as in the instance of security guards. In remote areas where a lack of sufficient infrastructure is a particular challenge, mobile, self-contained systems can mean the difference between success and failure.

“EOH Intelligent Infrastructure believes that integration is the key to providing an effective, comprehensive solution. There is no margin for error when lives depend on technology,” concludes Baptiste.

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