4 – What do we change

What is the plan, where do we begin and what is the next step?

Improving mobile equipment controls at operating sites is best managed as an engineering project.

Project success requires: coordinating multiple related activities such as: new technology assessment and sourcing, financing, reviews of current vehicle Interaction control performance, managing production impacts, data collection and analysis, and behavioural change drivers supporting experienced personnel to reassess and modify how they carry out their work.

The recommended first steps are to prepare a project charter that confirms leadership support and the project intent. This is then followed by project initiation and the preparation of a stakeholder management plan.

Following project initiation detailed planning to produce the scope and budget and develop a project Work Breakdown Structure and schedule are recommended.

What tools and resources do we already have?

We suggest that you identify and apply your existing company processes such as: project management, technology assessment and sourcing, financing, managing production impacts, data collection and analysis, and working experienced personnel to deliver a successful and sustainable project.

What tools and processes do we need?

Project Management templates designed for vehicle interaction control improvement projects are provided in this section. These should be reviewed and adapted for your circumstances before use

How do we involve our people?

Complex innovation projects are challenging because they involve and impact many people. The Project Management templates include work packages that directly involve knowledgeable and experienced personnel to develop performance baselines and consider control improvements. Their early and ongoing involvement is essential for project success.

What is the role of technology?

In the Vehicle Interaction landscape, technology has two fundamental roles

Firstly, it can assist us do better what we do now Levels 1-7

Secondly, it can replace or add to what we do now Level 8 and 9

Referencing the EMSERT nine level control effectiveness model, technology either assists us for design and operate controls (Levels 1-7) or it adds new react controls (Level 8 and 9).

Extensive research and development of new technology react controls that alert and advise operators (Level 8) and intervene independently of the operator (Level 9) has been undertaken over the last decade. While these react control 

developments are progressing, there are still few examples of successful operational deployments. 

Currently an assessment methodology for technology is being developed. It based on industry experience and research and separately analyzes Sensing, Rules and Interface system elements as they apply for the vehicle operator (Levels 7-8) and for machine intervention (Level 9).

Industry experience is that scoping, implementing, integrating, and maintaining collision avoidance systems is complex because:

  • During operations there is an ongoing dynamic interdependence between design, operate and react controls (reference EMESRT Level 1-9 Model)
  • The successful implementation and integration of react controls requires a comprehensive baseline understanding of design and operate controls

Success requires precisely understanding what technology does and does not do, taking an engineering project approach, and considering human factors in design and during operational integration.

4 – What do we change

Link to the EMESRT Vehicle Interaction Control Improvement Project Guide

The EMESRT Vision is a mining industry free of fatalities, injuries and occupational illnesses associated with operating and maintaining earth moving equipment. Since 2013, EMESRT has facilitated an industry-level vehicle interaction project with the goal of improving the reliability of vehicle interaction controls in mining.

This guide has been developed to assist operating sites in the resources industry deliver successful projects that improve vehicle interaction controls. It is based on processes and approaches that have been applied at EMESRT member company operations to systematically improve vehicle interaction controls. This includes the operational integration of new technology VI controls. Expected users are site and divisional leaders with the business knowledge and experience to plan and deliver complex business improvement projects.

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