How Australian mines can see hazards earlier, intervene sooner, and keep people out of harm’s way.
Production is still running hot, even as prices cool. Crews are leaner. Conditions are harsher.
In that mix, conveyors remain a stubborn safety risk. ifm’s new industry paper, Driving conveyor safety in mining: How Australian mines can meet 2025’s risks with smarter systems, pulls together regulator findings, site experience and proven technology patterns to show a practical way forward – without adding complexity.
The risk picture (in brief)
- Heat-at-pulley fires: Small thermal anomalies on critical rollers become flames before anyone sees smoke.
- Blocked transfer chutes: Late detection forces “open-and-look” checks around unstable product.
- Misalignment: Reactive tracking often means guards off and tools near nip points.
- Remote, harsh environments: Dust, spray, glare and heat can blind optics and slow safe recovery.
- The execution gap: Manual checks and siloed alarms persist when sites need continuous, dust-immune sensing and a plain-English view.
What good looks like
The paper outlines five fixes grounded in Australian practice and regulator guidance:
- Stop heat becoming fire. Monitor bearing temperature continuously at tail/head/take-up. Where cabling is impractical, use wireless temperature/vibration on high-risk idlers. Trip on rate-of-rise before smoke.
- See chute build-ups before people are exposed. Overhead radar cuts through dust and spray that often defeat cameras/ultrasonics. Escalate from warning to interlock to stop, with clear time-stamped alarms to control rooms or ROCs.
- Spot belt drift early; trip hard at the limit. Use non-contact edge monitoring for early trend visibility, backed by certified drift switches and interlocks so a conveyor can’t restart with guards off – aligned to AS/NZS requirements.
- Engineer for distance and dust. When decisions are made hundreds of kilometres away, field signals must stay trustworthy in heat, fines and glare: radar at transfers/feeder points, direct belt/shaft speed at drives, and clear, location-specific alarms presented the same on site and remotely.
- Close the execution gap – start small, scale fast. Template one conveyor (with simple KPIs), then copy-paste. Avoid “pilot purgatory” by locking in quick, measurable wins.
Tools that make it easier
- Radar sensing (e.g., ifm R2D/R1D): Detect oversize on the belt, rising piles in chutes and early edge drift – reliably in dust and spray.
- Smart speed sensing (ifm DI range): Direct belt/shaft speed for dependable under/overspeed trips.
- Common data layer (IO-Link + ifm moneo): Consistent tags, trends and named alarms – one view for site and ROC teams.
The safest conveyors are the ones that see early, withstand dust and heat, and speak clearly to whoever is on shift. You don’t need a big-bang overhaul – just start with one conveyor, prove the value, and scale.
Download the paper: Driving conveyor safety in mining – and get the full playbook and implementation tips.
ifm is a global leader in industrial automation and sensing technology. With over 8,700 employees and 50 years of innovation, we deliver smart, robust solutions that enhance safety, boost performance, and future-proof industrial operations.
Our portfolio includes sensors, remote monitoring, mobile systems, and technologies that support the digitisation of industrial environments, engineered to thrive in the toughest conditions.
In Australia, our people-first approach and technical expertise make us a trusted partner, staying “close to you,” as our company slogan reflects.
Visit the ifm website or call 1300 365 088 for more information.
