Safety is one of PT Berau Coal's focuses in carrying out
coal mining operations in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan. One of the
innovations promoted by management is the application of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) technology in mining activities, through the Mining Eyes
Analytics (MEA) application. Berau Coal management even claims that this
application of AI is the first to be implemented in a coal mining environment.
MEA is applied in monitoring vehicle and human traffic
activities in mining areas. Through the applied AI, now the distance
between mining trucks when transporting can be set at a safe distance via the mining
eyes application.
MEA detected several activities, distance along mine
transport vehicles. Second, people outside the unit cabin or post
area. This critical distance is critical, when in analytics there is an
alert if it is too close. Then all workers are not allowed to leave the
facilities, heavy equipment or posts, within a distance of 20 meters from their
safe radius, unless they communicate first with the control room to install
certain signs.
The facilities (vehicles) are limited, there are not too
many in the pit, the risk is too dangerous, there are facilities, a track, when
the means enter the pit an alert will appear. Check whether you have
coordinated with the control room.
"In the past it was only through cameras, but now we
use AI so we know directly how far the trucks are, then if they are too close,
we intervene from here," said Arintoko Saputro, Deputy Head of Engineering
for the Berau Coal Mine at the Binungan coal mining site, Wednesday (6/ 12).
Apart from trucks, now you can also monitor workers who
leave the truck cabin. Apart from direct supervision of mining activities,
the AI embedded in this monitoring technology is also able to prevent fatigue
experienced by mining truck drivers.
"So now you can detect drivers who are sleepy, yawning,
looking down, looking right and left or not looking at the road. "So
there will be an alert that will warn the driver," said Arintoko.
The application of AI in this monitoring system has proven
to be very effective in reducing the risk of work accidents in mining areas.
Meanwhile, Januar, Safety, Health and Environment (SHE)
Section Head of PT Pamapersada Nusantara, a working partner of PT Berau Coal,
said that innovation makes monitoring work in mining areas much more efficient
and covers a wider area than just relying on cameras and officers.
Mining Eyes Analytics control room (Photo/Doc/Energy World – Rio Indrawan)
“Mining eyes can reduce the number of supervisors, making
the range of friends wider. If it's front loading, the supervisor only
monitors certain areas, from here everything is visible. "Inspections
and supervision can be carried out more frequently, you don't need to go
anywhere, just use direct long-distance communication," explained Zanuar.
Apart from that, production is also affected by more
efficient supervision. "Fleet matching is more appropriate. When
fleet matching is more appropriate, production will automatically be
better. "It impacts safety and productivity," said Januar.
Rudini Rahim, Corporate Communication Superintendent of
Berau Coal, explained that PT Berau Coal is a coal mining company that has
innovated a lot by using technology and digitalization in its mining operations
as a continuous improvement effort to realize smart
mining. "Innovation and continuous improvement are continuously
encouraged to produce productive, efficient, safe and green operations so that
sustainable mining can be realized," said Rudini.
One of the digital innovations at PT Berau Coal is a smart
application called BEATS or BeGeMS (Berau Coal Green Mining System) Automation
Tracking System. This application is used to support monitoring and
analysis of operational and K3L activities which were previously carried out
manually but now use digital technology. "So that the process of
monitoring operations involving more than 24,000 workers can be carried out
well," explained Rudini.
Image source: Dunia Energi - Rio Indrawan
