Last Updated: 10 March 2025
While SmartCap’s early warning alerts and fatigue alarms empower operators to manage their fatigue risk throughout a shift, providing tremendous safety benefits, there are other positive outcomes of deploying the world’s leading fatigue monitoring solution to your workplace. Improved safety controls also lead to measurable improvements in productivity, which is the topic of this post.
Optimizing fatigue breaks
Rostered fatigue breaks have their place in an operation absent of an effective, real-time monitoring of risk. With technology to reliably provide this monitoring, a business can move away from arbitrary, scheduled breaks to all operators, and instead, provide fatigue breaks when needed. Such a targeted approach ensures the risk is better managed and unnecessary breaks are removed.
The net result will vary from operation to operation. Analysis of data from a number SmartCap sites around the world indicates that risk-based break strategies can yield more than 50 man-hours of operational time each year, per operator.
Fewer major production interruptions
We believe that businesses can create a safe work environment where no individuals are harmed, and no lives are lost due to human fatigue. In other words, we believe that all fatigue related incidents are preventable. Eliminating or reducing such incidents not only offers safety benefits, but also reduces the major production interruptions associated with each incident.
Quantifying these gains is difficult, since significant incidents are few and varied. Typically, a major incident requires a period of complete shutdown of part or all of the mining operation. This may be as little as 30 mins, or as much as 24 hours depending on severity and location.
Such delays are required to ensure medical assistance is provided immediately, to ensure damaged equipment can be moved or removed, to conduct any investigations required, and to ensure that the work area is safe.
Many mining operations using SmartCap’s wearable technology have eliminated major fatigue incidents entirely; others have seen a significant reduction. A conservative estimate of the cost savings associated with this reduction would be to assume a 60% reduction in major fatigue-related incidents.
More efficient operations
Though difficult to quantify and validate, there is strong anecdotal evidence that the following efficiencies result from greater average workforce alertness (reduced average fatigue risk), which has been consistently demonstrated in businesses that have deployed SmartCap’s wearable technology.
- Fewer judgement errors: Much like spotting times, alert operators tend to make less errors in judgement. Examples of such judgement include whether to proceed or wait at an intersection due to oncoming equipment with right of way, when and by how much to reduce speed in wet conditions, and where to position the truck on the haul road to preserve surface integrity and minimise tire damage.
- Greater compliance with process: An alert operator is more likely to remember and comply with business processes. Examples include safety processes and equipment inspections/refuelling. For businesses where different ore grades requiring delivery to different areas of the ROM, this is particularly relevant.
- Greater fuel efficiency: Studies have shown that an alert driver consumes 1.35% less fuel than a fatigued driver, largely due to more steady throttling and braking. Within months of deploying SmartCap’s wearable technology, sites typically see a measurable improvement in workforce alertness at all hours of the day and night. A 0.5% reduction in fuel usage could be reasonably anticipated.
- Reduced spotting times: Alert operators are better at doing their job. In a truck-and-shovel operation, one of the significant areas affected by human ability is correct and timely spotting of the truck. Though unquantified at present, such an improvement could be easily measured using a before-and-after comparison.
Reduced equipment damage
- Less equipment contact incidents: Fatigue is responsible for some equipment contact incidents, which are associated with two sources of cost – repair and downtime. Both can be reduced by the introduction of an effective fatigue monitoring initiative.
- Less service brake misuse: Significant fatigue impairs reaction time, which includes reaction to downhill gradients requiring retardation for speed control. Extreme events or unthinking reactions can lead to unnecessary use of service breaks, which can be both dangerous and expensive (parts and equipment downtime).
- Less tire damage: Preventable tire damage is caused by a lack of attention to debris and/or inappropriate cornering speeds, amongst other things. Both can be dramatically mitigated by ensuring an alert workforce.
- More effective equipment inspections: Pre-shift inspections allow issues to be identified early, before catastrophic failure which may lead to safety incidents or major repairs. Attention to detail is required, which is significantly affected by operator alertness and fatigue.
Final Thoughts
The deployment of SmartCap’s fatigue monitoring technology not only enhances safety but also significantly boosts productivity and operational efficiency. By optimizing fatigue breaks, reducing major production interruptions, and improving overall workforce alertness, businesses can achieve substantial cost savings and operational benefits. The evidence, both anecdotal and data-driven, underscores the value of investing in SmartCap’s solutions for a safer, more efficient mining operation.
Published: 10 March 2025
Last Updated: 10 March 2025