As published in The Coalface Magazine - March editions for NSW and QLD 2025
Strata Worldwide is committed to driving advancements in safety, offering a range of cutting-edge systems and technologies that fall under three core pillars: Support, Protect, and Connect.
Graeme Naylor, Strata Worldwide QLD Regional Manager, said that while the company was initially known for its ground support products, its drive to make the mining industry safer has expanded its offerings to include everything from communications networks to AI and proximity detection technologies.
“When the company was formed in the early 90s in USA, it was all about supporting our clients with products centered around the physical strata of the working environment. For example, in the coal industry, we were best known for our flagship ground support products, Link-N-Locks and Propsetters,” said Graeme.
“In 2007, we branched into our second product pillar, Protect, introducing our underground refuge chambers before going on to advance products such as our proximity detection and collision avoidance systems.
“Complementing all of this is our third pillar, Connect, which encompasses our extensive range of communication and environmental monitoring technologies.
“These three pillars represent what matters most to us, making working environments safer and more productive.”
Over the years, Strata Worldwide has ensured that if an emergency occurs, its trusted refuge chambers are there to protect workers. The newest addition to its range is the Strata Emergency Refuge Chamber Modular (ERCM), which is both economical and versatile. It has been designed with a series of attachable sections, allowing it to be modified to meet the changing needs of a project, site, or even the size of a workforce.
While the refuge chamber ensures that workers are protected in worst-case scenarios, Strata Worldwide’s proximity detection and avoidance collision technologies aim to prevent incidents before they occur.
HazardAVERT is an electromagnetic proximity detection system developed to prevent crushing and pinning-type accidents in mining environments. The system detects when a person enters a potentially dangerous area around machinery and automatically sends warning alerts. If no corrective action is taken, or in the event of a sudden emergency, HazardAVERT can be interlocked into the equipment's controls to automatically slow and/or stop the machinery completely.
“I’ve spent much time over the past 20 years on surface and underground mines, and before this technology, coal mine workers had to rely heavily on Admin in the hierarchy of controls to protect workers”
“These technologies are engineering controls that are dependable and simple to integrate. It supports safer practices of the worker because, unfortunately, people make mistakes, whereas this technology is designed to alleviate the human error aspect”
Complementing HazardAVERT is HazardAI, which is designed to modify unsafe worker behaviors and keep personnel out of harm’s way. The all-in-one solution uses sensors to detect and differentiate between people, vehicles, and objects in close proximity, using stereoscopic vision to measure distance and advanced algorithms to analyse the potential for collision.
“The back-end SafeSITE system and HazardAI give site managers confidence that workers and heavy machinery will be kept at safe distances while effecting actual, long-lasting safety-based workforce behavioral change via our SafeSITE AI platform.
“What’s more, both HazardAI and HazardAVERT will ensure you are covered with a vehicle/pedestrian proximity detection system, be it on the surface or underground.
“Both technologies continuously monitor and log everything from system operating status, warning alarms, machinery overrides, and machinery interactions. This data can be downloaded on-site for analysis and reporting or wirelessly streamed to dispatch using our communications systems.”
As the company’s capabilities continue to grow, Graeme said one thing will always remain the same: their commitment to customer service and support.
“We don’t just want mine sites to come to us for products; we want them to come to us because they see us as a trusted adviser, not only in keeping their workplaces safe but also in making them as efficient and productive as possible.”
See the article in The Coalface Magazine.
