Air in underground mines contains contaminants including gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, sulphur compounds,methane and carbon dioxide, and solids in the form of dusts,smokes or fumes from various mining activities such as diesel,load-haul-dump operations and blasting. Emanations from thestrata can also be a substantial source of contamination.This report details the source, toxicity and/or inflammability ofsome undesirable substances found in underground mines. Means ofcontrol are also described.

Sensing and Monitoring Technologies for Mines and Hazardous Areas: Monitoring and Prediction Technologies presents the fundamentals of mining related geotechnical risk and how the latest advances in sensing and data communication can be used both to prevent accidents and provide early warnings. Opencast mining operations involve huge quantities of overburden removal, dumping, and backfilling in excavated areas. Substantial increases in the rate of accumulation of waste dumps in recent years has resulted in greater height of dumps and also has given rise to the danger of dump failures as steeper open pit slopes are prone to failure. These failures lead to loss of valuable human lives and damage to mining machinery. This book presents the most recent advances in gas sensors, methane detectors, and power cut-off systems. It also introduces monitoring of the gas strata and environment, and an overview of the use of Internet of Things and cloud computing for mining sensing and surveillance purposes. Targeted at geotechnical and mining engineers, this volume covers the latest findings and technology to prevent mining accidents and mitigate the inherent risk of the activity. Presents complete details of a real-time slope stability monitoring system using wireless sensor networking and prediction technique based on multivariate statistical analysis of various parameters and analytical hierarchy process methods Discusses innovative ideas and new concepts of sensing technologies, mine transport surveillance, digital mining, and cloud computing to improve safety and productivity in mining industry Includes slope stability prediction software, downloadable through a companion website, which can be used for monitoring, analyzing, and storing different sensors and providing audio-visual, SMS, and email alerts Covers the latest findings and technology to prevent mining accidents and mitigate the inherent risk