Nerospec OSCON says that it has achieved group-wide standardisation with Harmony Gold. Its solutions will now be implemented across all Harmony Gold mines, enhancing safety and efficiency. It added: “This partnership is a significant step in our mission to create safer mining environments. By integrating NEROSPEC OSCON’s innovative technologies, Harmony Gold is setting a new benchmark for safety and operational excellence.”

Specifically, it covers deployment of the neroHUB Vehicle Intervention Control System which helps to enable Level 9 collision avoidance. South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) brought into law in December 2022 the Chapter 8 clauses of the Mine Health and Safety Act Regulations relating to Level 9 vehicle intervention for collision avoidance in trackless mobile machinery, both surface and underground.

The neroHUB provides a universal interface for Trackless Mining Machines (TMM) and Collision Warning Systems (CWS). It increases productivity and improves mine safety with the intelligent use of CRAWL and STOP processes as well as providing uniform and secure records to promote operational efficiency.

Harmony operates eight underground gold mines in the Witwatersrand Basin – Moab Khotsong, Mponeng, Tshepong North and South, Doornkop, Joel, Target 1, Kusasalethu and Masimong. It also operates the Kalgold open pit. Outside of South Africa it operates the Hidden Valley open pit gold and silver mine in PNG, where it also has 50% of the Wafi-Golpu underground project. In Australia it has the Eva copper project.

In its 2023 ESG report, Harmony states: “Harmony aims to comply with legislation because we care about employees’ safety, not just compliance. We began our proactive journey towards better safety requirements well before it became legislation on 22 December 2022 when the South African government legislated that trackless mobile machinery must be retrofitted with a Level 9 collision avoidance system…our implementation plan is specific and measurable, considering cost, maintenance and productivity implications. Based on site risk assessments, we conduct ongoing data management and reporting as well as employee awareness campaigns.”