CONSOL Energy and Komatsu Mining Corp have been awarded the 2018 National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovations Award for their work together to develop and implement a first-of-its-kind shield proximity system for use in US coal applications.

In pursuit of zero harm, the personal proximity detection system was developed by Komatsu for use on its Joy longwall systems to prevent automated shield movements when personnel are nearby. CONSOL began testing proximity detection systems on other pieces of underground mining equipment in 2010. CONSOL and Komatsu then partnered, tested and deployed the proximity detectors on an active longwall operation at the Pennsylvania Mining Complex.

“Creating a safer environment for our miners is always at the forefront of our decision making at CONSOL Energy,” said Jimmy Brock, President and CEO of CONSOL Energy. “By partnering with Komatsu on this initiative, together we are embracing innovation and technology into our safety culture- thereby strengthening our number one core value and reducing the potential risk of human error. We are honoured to be recognized by NIOSH for this award, and thank Komatsu for their leadership to enhance worker safety and advance the coal industry.”

Since activating the personal proximity detection system in December of 2017, there have been no incidents involving automated shield movement and humans at CONSOL Energy’s longwall operations.

“We are so honoured to receive this award with CONSOL and proud to have contributed to the stellar safety record achieved at CONSOL Energy’s longwall operations,” said Jeff Dawes, President and CEO of Komatsu Mining Corp. “At Komatsu, we drive for zero harm every day for our customers and our employees. Partnerships such as this help enable the continued development of new technologies and safety innovations that support the extraction of essential minerals – powering progress worldwide.”