Innovative South African technology increases effective control of access and time and attendance to save mining companies millions of rands in wages. It also serves as valuable proof of identity in case of mining accidents.
The technology can further extend to issuing and control of safety gear which is one of the fundamental operations in the management of human resources at a mine. Every miner is issued with safety equipment at the start of his shift. Should a miner get hurt or in case of an accident, proof of issuing the prescribed gear is required. These functions are mostly outsourced.
The Dex Security Solutions system that can be implemented is the locally manufactured two finger biometric system. According to Christo Muller, sales manager at Dex IT, the standard one finger system is not applicable to the industry because miners' fingerprints are chafed by the harsh elements they are working with and thus not acceptable as an identification method. "This is one of the main reasons the 3D hand geometry, HandKey system is usually used.
"However, Dex Security Solutions has successfully implemented the 2-finger geometry system in factories where the environmental and user challenges are the same as in the mining industry."
Another application of the 2-finger geometry system is to combat fraud in the mine canteens. Research has shown that up to 50% of meals consumed in mine hostels and canteens are incorrectly issued. Meals are taken on the names of miners who are at that time working underground because they are not properly identified. This costs mining companies millions of rands a year.
The 2-finger system is easier to use than the full hand system. With HandKey II, only the right hand can be used while both hands can be used on the 2-finger system. This has also the advantage of being more hygienic. These systems are also used in the lamp rooms where miners collect their lamps and oxygen gauges. This equipment is thoroughly checked beforehand and the hand geometry system allows for the true identification of the miner and proof that the right person received the checked equipment.
Hand and finger identification methods are currently the de facto standard of identification and control in the mining industry. Approximately 50 000 handkey units are installed worldwide, capturing 35 500 people per unit. The units are durable and are guaranteed to last six years before any feature needs to be replaced. "In the AngloGold mines that have been using 14 units of our system for three years already, only one breakdown occurred," says Muller.
The biggest benefit of the Dex Security Solutions biometrics systems is that they integrate with existing HR and proximity systems to enhance and expand functions cost effectively.
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.
printer friendly version