This paper presents a model that was developed to address the safety aspect of and the specifications for an operator-defined remote control system. It is widely recognized that the introduction of remote control can increase the safety and productivity of the work force. With the introduction of remote control systems into the South African coal mining industry, these two objectives were evaluated in determining the potential impact of their widespread use. In order to increase productivity, a remote control system must be accepted by the work force. As there was no marked increase in productivity, a field investi- gation was carried out to identify the problem. From this investigation, specifications for an "ideal" remote control system were drawn up, these differ markedly from the systems that can presently be supplied by manufacturers. All coal continuous miners has a potentially hazardous zone around it, in particular the area around the cutting boom of a continuous miner. This must be considered for the safe placement of the operator when removing him from the machine. A model was therefore developed to determine the probability of placing the operator in this hazardous zone, and is based on the dimensions of the machine, the size of the roadways and the transmission distance of the control system.
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