Los Alamos Tests Life-saving Mine Communications System

Even as six coal miners remain trapped in a Utah mine, the Los Alamos National Labs (LANL) reports the successful testing of a portable, Through-The-Earth Communication (tm) system that will allow first responders, rescue teams, and underground miners to communicate with each other.

Developed by Vital Alert Technologies, Inc., in response to requests from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) after the Sago and Alma mine accidents, the new communication system utilizes very-low frequency (VLF) radio signals, similar to those used by the U.S. Navy to communicate with submerged submarines located on the far side of the globe.

"In deep underground mines, the reliable and portable system will provide two-way voice reception that can be used to locate trapped miners and alert individuals of underground conditions caused by blasts, fires, or structural collapse," states LANL in a press release.

Tests of the system were conducted at the Lake Lynn Experimental Mine in Pennsylvania. The Lake Lynn Mine, operated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is the nation’s most sophisticated underground facility for conducting large-scale explosion trials and mine safety research.

Also See: After Deadly Year, New Federal Mine Safety Rules Issued