WorldWide Drilling Resource

22 JULY 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Mining Equipment Operators Receive Top-Notch Training by Bonnie Love, Editor, WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Training new mining equipment oper- ators is no easy task. Or is it? I got a small taste of what today’s training involves and thanks to Immersive Technologies, the ex- perience was incredible. Simulation training has proven its worth in several high-risk occupations from airline pilots to launching a space shuttle. It has quickly gained recogni t ion as a significant method of increasing site safety and prof - itability through im- proved operator skill and knowledge. My hands-on encounter involved using a shovel dump truck, and let’s just say, it’s a good thing I wasn’t actually in a real truck. With seats that move and vibrate based on your actions, you really get the feeling you are in the equip- ment. I learned how to maneuver the shovel without causing an accident. How did I learn? By causing a virtual accident. You see, simulation training allows students to feel the sensitivity of the controls, experience the jolts of bumping the ground with the shovel, and yes, you learn what hap- pens when you make a mistake. The good thing is, you are learning from the safety of a classroom instead of damaging expensive mining equipment on the jobsite. One of the latest projects to benefit from Immersive Technologies simulator training is the New Gold Rainy River Project in Canada. As part of its plan to create 600 permanent jobs, the project has decided to invest in simulator training. “We’re excited to bring the best technology to the Rainy River Project. The utilization of the simulator from Immersive Technologies will ensure safe and skilled operators. Immersive Technologies was able to demonstrate an excellent track record of workforce development and preparing local communities with skill sets in other industries to highly proficient mining equipment operators, while also accommodating our tight delivery schedule,” said Roger Pomerleau, mine training specialist, New Gold. Immersive Techologies’ simulators are used in over 40 countries. One example is Ma’aden, based in Saudi Arabia. The company was looking to expand their mining facilities and needed to train the local community for careers in mining. The managing director said after using the Immersive Technology simulators, the graduates of their training program not only developed self-confidence and situ- ational decision making capabilities, they also improved their attitude and capacity in handling real machinery. Rainy River will be using simulators to ensure operators are well prepared for emergency situations. An assessment of equipment operators at a North American coal mine highlighted only 28% of operators could correctly respond to a machine fire event. Following Immersive Technologies simulation-based training, this was quickly increased to 93% of operators. My experience with simulators by Immersive Technologies was courtesy of the Missouri S&T chapter of Women In Mining, host of the 2016 annual meet- ing. It was as if I was in the loader! The NGWA (National Ground Water Association) has announced a new in- coming chief executive director. Terry Morse of Ohio was selected from a pool of more than 50 applicants. He will begin working with the NGWA Team, including outgo- ing CEO Kevin McCray, in November. McCray will be re- tiring December 31, 2017, after more than 20 years of service to the groundwater industry as NGWA’s CEO. Read more online at worldwidedrillingresource.com A pump hoist from SEMCO, Inc. of Lamar, Colorado, is hard at work in Tanzania, Africa. It was purchased by Ken and Faith Stoy of Valley Drilling Company in Montrose, Colorado, in partnership with Saint Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church of Irvine, California.