LTI’s TruPulse® Laser Can Help with Close Calls in Mining Industry 

by M Phippen, 04/04/17

For nearly 30 years, we at Laser Technology have been providing solutions to the mining industry with intelligent lasers such as the TruPulse^® family of laser rangefinders. Here’s yet one more solution to a preventable problem/hazard. Generally speaking, as a shift supervisor or other oversight position you’re accountable for the day-to-day management of safe, stable, efficient and reliable production within the operating area. Further, you’re also involved with personnel management at the front line level! So as most supervisors would agree there’s much to keep track of including trucks coming on and off the site. 

TruPulse 200 Measuring Clearances 

In an article by Kerry Clines for ‘Aggregates Manager’ he documents an incident and subsequent “Close Call Alert” regarding a gravel truck that came into contact with power lines. Fortunately no one was hurt but suspect the driver was highly embarrassed and fined. As a result, MSHA issued a “Best Practices” to mitigate similar incidents in the future. I found it interesting that MSHA’s first bullet point suggests that if working within 10 feet of high-voltage power lines have them “de-energized.” Obviously there’s a cost to have this done and in most cases it’s completely unnecessary! The definition of clearance: a) the distance by which one object clears another or the clear space between them. You may need to know the clearance under a bridge or the distance between 2 remote points – or in this case the distance between the raised truck bed and power line. 

The TruPulse 200 Laser Rangefinder measures slope distances and inclination angles. With these two measurements the TruPulse 200 calculates a vertical distance and has built-in routines to measure heights and clearances. For example, the “Missing Line,” feature calculates the distance and inclination between any two remote features. This allows you the Shift Supervisor to within minutes; create a complete survey of all critical safety points that establish clearance minimums; saving both time and money! For less money spent on repairs and outage claims, the TruPulse 200 will provide something more valuable than money; it offers peace of mind and one less thing to worry about.