Mines are busy places, with a lot of activity and a lot of danger. Safety of staff is paramount, especially during blasting operations, but is still a challenge. Tait New Zealand Exclusive Dealer Bearcom has listened to the needs of one mine and has made a “simple, reliable and bulletproof” solution using Tait radios to ease the burden.

The Rotowaro coal mine, New Zealand’s largest open-cast mine located near the Huntly power station in the North Island, has always had problems with people talking over radio silence during blasting. This problem was due to some people not hearing the initial call for silence, compounded by a shift change where workers check in via radio. The majority of blasting occurs around the same time as the shift change, when the fewest people are on-site.

However, all this chatter can interfere with instructions from the blast controller, and could interfere with critical communication during a blast or an emergency situation.

To overcome this issue, site personnel in conjunction with Bearcom, have come up with a solution. A Tait portable radio is used to activate an audible tone sequence every five seconds to let radio users know that radio silence has been called. This tone can always be talked over and does not lock out the system.

This is a vital communication device during emergency situations or while blasting and it is up to all operators to follow radio silence protocol when called.

Around thirty TM8250 mobiles are used in supervisor’s vehicles, using their large four-line LCD screens to see the identity of each caller. Other personnel at the site use 90 TM8110 mobiles which send each caller’s identity with every call.

Supervisors on site are also required to have a portable radio on hand or belt, and the TP8115 fits the bill perfectly. Tait radios are designed to operate in challenging environments such as Rotowaro – being an open cast mine, there is a lot of dirt, dust and debris. Whilst the mine usually has spares of everything, the mine never needs to be closed due to communication problems because all Tait radios exceed the requirements of strict international standards, including MIL-STD 810 F and shock and dust-ingress ratings, and have proved extremely reliable under the difficult conditions.