The Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) initiated the deployment of a mobile inspection application system (IAS) to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of mine inspectors to better carry out MSHA’s mission of promoting the health and safety of America’s miners.
According to MSHA, nearly 1,500 federal mine inspectors across the nation and enforcement staff will benefit from this new technology.
The mobile IAS replaces an 18-year-old system that required mine inspectors to carry bulky equipment, MSHA says. Mobile IAS incorporates all of the inspectors’ equipment and data into one application.
According to MSHA, the mobile IAS is a Windows-based, lightweight, semi-rugged tablet with a camera, video, voice recording, touch screen, digital pen, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi capability to facilitate data capture and streamline the inspection process. It also allows for data transfer among other devices, as well as the MSHA Standardized Information System.
“Enabling mine inspectors to work more efficiently means more time to focus on the health and safety of America’s miners,” says David Zatezalo, MSHA assistant secretary. “MSHA’s mobile IAS is expected to improve the quality of information by eliminating redundancy, and provide more timely information for inspectors.”
