Collaborative research and development of tools, practices and systems are needed to reduce risk for those working closest to mining’s biggest tyres.
The mining industry is no stranger to the risks associated with servicing mining tyres.
Both the weight and size of the tyres, combined with operating temperatures and pressures, make even the most basic of tasks ones that must be undertaken with the upmost care and precision.
While steps have been taken in the last 20 to 30 years to improve tyre servicing safety, rapid development in truck types and sizes as well as increased production targets mean that many miners are pushing plant equipment and tools to their operating limits.
Combined with a shortage of skilled workers, these factors can contribute to tyre technicians working under increasing pressure, leading to a higher number of service-related safety incidents.
Kal Tire wants to change this.
Lightening the load
With mining tyres regularly standing up to 4m tall and weighing up to five tonnes each, handling tyres can lead to muscle and back strain and finger pinches and crushes.
Advances in mechanisation and tooling have provided important safety improvements over the years, however many of these tools have changed little since they were introduced 30 years ago and must continue to be properly applied, inspected and maintained.
Additionally, some tooling requires training for safe use and can be heavy beasts themselves, with torque guns alone often weighing in at 36kg.
Since time is money in the mining industry, there can be pressure on technicians to get machines back into service quickly. This can lead to a potential conflict between doing the job quickly and doing it safely.
And while technologies, tools and training each have a part to play in keeping technicians safe, they must be implemented and focused on in the manner of a hierarchy to be truly effective.
“Implementing high level controls tends to be more effective than those at the lower end of the control hierarchy,” Kal Tire Mining Tire Group senior vice president Dan Allan said.
“Frequently in mining, rules or personal protective equipment, or PPE, are used for mitigating hazards, but these aren’t enough.
“It’s time to think about eliminating hazards through new processes or using engineering control like innovative tooling to guard against hazards more effectively.”
While PPE will always have a part to play in safe working environments, the onus is on technicians to apply it consistently. Reinventing work – while more challenging – is likely to be more effective and permanent.
Collaborative tooling innovation
Allan believes ongoing investment in innovation will be critical to eliminating potential tyre servicing hazards.
“That’s why Kal Tire established its Innovation Center in 2015, to get to the heart of the underlying issues to make our work around the wheel as safe as possible,” he said.
Kal Tire’s GATR, or Gravity Assist Tooling Rig, is a prime example of this investment.
Developed through feedback from the company’s technicians, GATR eases the physical burden on technicians by supporting the weight of heavy tools, such as the 36kg torque gun.
“They’re essential in reducing finger pinches, fatigue and strain when mounting tyres, especially ultra-class models,” Allan said.
Leveraging data for the future
Kal Tire hopes insights generated by tyre data management systems will be used to optimise the planning and execution of tyre servicing in the future.
The company pointed to a recent example in British Columbia, Canada, where one of its customers conducted a trial focusing on automating tyre pressure data collection into Kal Tire’s Tire and Operations Management System, or TOMS.
Trial insights showed a reduced inspection time, lowering technician exposure by 40 per cent.
Robotics and automation also have a part to play in increasing safe practices. With most manual work in buffing, building and grooving already eliminated, automation could see these risk mitigated further if robotics were to take over the remaining tasks.
“As automated systems become more economical and feasible, there are so many opportunities to use automation in the tyre service space to eliminate hazards and risk,” Allan said.
“The only limit to the application of these automated systems is our own imagination.
“To achieve safer tyre servicing, mining companies need to work closely with their teams, service providers, original equipment manufacturers, training bodies, and more. We’ll get there faster and more effectively if we work together.”
