Safety First: The Evolution Of Robotics In Mining

Mining – it is one of the world’s oldest industries, and also one of the first to place a strong focus on the topic of operator safety. Over the years, technologies used to enhance safety systems within mining plants have paved the way for solutions which have since become standard procedure, as well as being applicable to and used by other sectors. Mining processes entail very high risks for both the operational continuity of plants and the operators themselves. This is reflected in accident figures associated with mining processes, and at a European level, a range of serious accidents have impacted the mining industry:

• Soma (Turkey, 2014) – An explosion and fire in an underground mine caused by methane caused 301 fatalities.
• Handlová (Slovakia, 2009) – A methane gas explosion in a deep mine (approximately 330 m) led to 20 fatalities.
• Wujek-Slask (Poland, 2009) – A deep methane explosion resulted in 20 fatalities.
• Gleision (UK, 2011) – A mine tunnel accident, in which flooding caused four fatalities.

In the US, between 2011 – 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recorded 1030 deaths in confined spaces (tanks, silos, tunnels, etc.). In Canada, over 100 deaths per year are estimated due to confined spaces. For the mining sector, from 2004 – 2010, the US reported an annual average of 59 deaths in confined spaces, which was then reduced to 37 between 2011 – 2015, thanks to reinforced measures after the 2010 accident at Massey Energy, which resulted in 29 deaths. According to Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) data in 2024, there were 31 total deaths in the US in the mining sector, 20 of which were in metal and non-metal mines. When analysing data on mining disasters (defining a disaster as an accident that has experienced more than five deaths), data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Observatory confirms that most are due to explosions. Looking at accidents without a fatal outcome, the statistics show a steadily increasing number of accidents since 2020, rising from 3193 to 3664 in 2023.

This is a preview of an article that was originally published in the November/December 2025 issue of Global Mining Review. Subscribe to Global Mining Review for free to read this article in full and many more here.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/12012026/safety-first-the-evolution-of-robotics-in-mining/