Khiagda, JSC Introduces Smart Helmets System

This is an important step towards zero injuries in synergy with the digitization of business processes in the nuclear industry.

Smart Helmets were successfully tested at the first Russian Smart Site for uranium mining, created at the Istochny deposit in the Bauntovsky-Evenki District of the Republic of Buryatia. The project is an element of the unified digital strategy of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation and is included in the package of digital products of the State Corporation, it allows to increase labor productivity and economic efficiency of production.

The positioning system allows to remotely control observance of safety instructions at work and monitor the movement and condition of employees during work. The project is being implemented jointly with the Information Technology Department of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rostelecom, PJSC and Softline.

«We are creating a unified digital platform for the life cycle of exploration and mining of solid minerals. We are currently at the first stage: an innovative intellectual technology has been introduced at the Istochny deposit to control the development of uranium deposits using the method of in-situ leaching. The software complexes help the enterprise to reliably assess the mining and geological situation on developed sites of deposits, simulate the options of development, conduct accurate analysis of performed work, and promptly make decisions in the analysis and forecast of field development, geological modeling and planning. The introduction of Smart Helmets is a small, but very important stage in the creation of a digital platform, which should be implemented at the very beginning,» said Vyacheslav Galaktionov, Information Technology Director of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co.

Smart Helmets with positioning module based on GPS trackers, developed by Softline, increase the level of physical safety of employees at production site. They are capable of transmitting a signal to the dispatcher in the event of an employee falling or receiving a blow, warn of dangerous «red zones», and also allow to monitor the location of people indoors and outdoors. It is also planned to provide workers of the uranium mining enterprise with bracelets that have built-in pulse and body temperature sensors. If necessary, such a bracelet can transmit an alarm signal to the control room in the absence of other means of communication.

«The introduction of Smart Helmets is an important step towards ensuring „zero injuries“ in accordance with the ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation key priority: safety. The technological solution is based on modern digital developments, and the project itself is a part of the unified digital strategy of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation,» commented Evgeny Abakumov, Director of the Information Technology Department at ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation.

«We expect that this development will allow us to minimize the facts of violation of labor discipline and increase the efficiency of employees,» said Roman Naryshkin, Head of the Information Technology Department at Khiagda, JSC.

«The creation of the Smart Helmet began „from scratch“ — at the beginning we had a regular helmet and security needs. Rostelecom, as the main provider of communication services for Khiagda, JSC, developed a solution that allowed to monitor the location of the personnel involved in the working process at the mine, both indoors and outdoors. The result was a „smart“ solution,» said Andrey Zdarov, Director of the Buryat branch of Rostelecom, PJSC. «We developed the software in accordance with the wishes of Khiagda, JSC. It takes into account the peculiarities of work in difficult climatic conditions and remoteness from large settlements. At the moment, the company has successfully completed trial operation,» says Sergey Monin, an expert in industrial Internet of Things solutions of Softline Group.

It is planned that in spring 2019 Smart Helmets and bracelets will be provided to each employee at Khiagda, JSC, and in the near future this initiative will be expanded to other enterprises of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co.