Communication Technology Capacity Development And Safety In Underground Mines: The Case Of Chirano Gold Mines And Newmont Gold Ahafo Underground mines

Abstract

Improving safety in undergro un d M·m es necessan.ly r.eqUire s CommunI.c atI.O n Technology Capacity (CTC) Development. The main objective of the thesis was to analyse CTC Development and Safety in Underground Mines to generate knowledge resources for improving Safety in Underground Mines. The data used were obtained from primary and secondary sources. The data were obtained through interviews, focus group discussion, questionnaire administration, and literature search. Data were analysed using these frameworks: Descriptive, Correlation, Comparative, Evaluation, and Synthesis. And again Data were analysed using these Techniques: Descriptive Statistics, Regression, Chi-square, Impact Analysis, Modelling, and Computer Simulation. Chirano Gold Underground Mines And Newmont Gold Ahafo Underground Mines were endowed in CTC Development and safety in underground Mines. The drivers employed for CTC development were Traffic lights, Power supply, Traffic light module, Radio frequency transmitters and receivers, and Software component. These drivers helped minimise and prevent unnecessary interactions between mobile equipment. Constraints in CTC Development in both mines included High cost of training, Training sessions conflicting off days, Employees unwilling to participate in training, and High labour tum over make training costly. ·Also Formal Internal training, Formal external training, Learning by doing, Learning by adapting foreign te~hnology, etc. both underground mines compared favourably in respect of their mechanisms for CTC development and its constraints. Effects of CTC Development on safety in Mines, it was realised that 80 m distance must be observed between mobile equipment in order to slow to a stop not more than 4 seconds to prevent a collision. In the improved CTC Development System, five scenarios for simulations were considered to assure orderly movement of mobile equipment in Mines namely: Heavy Vehicle (HV) moving at underground Mines Emergency Vehicle moving in the underground mines, HV descending, Light Vehicle (LV) ascending and HV descending and lastly, LV ascending and another LV descending.