Inadequate lighting and electrical light failures pose a major safety risk to mining operations.
Poor illumination is still a leading cause of workplace accidents, significantly impacting worker fatigue, attention, reaction ability and hand-eye coordination.
This is common in underground mining environments where poorly lit conditions also increase the risk of physical hazards such as slips, trips and falls.
Australian-based industrial LED strip lighting innovator MineGlow has been assisting mining and tunnel construction clients address these challenges, making the workplace safer, brighter and more productive with their purpose-built LED strip light technology for heavy industrial environments.
The rise of MineGlow
Founded in 2014 by industry pioneers Roy and Carinne Pater, MineGlow introduced the world’s first industrial-grade LED strip lighting solutions for hazardous mining environments.
These revolutionary LED strip lights bring full daylight conditions to poorly lit work areas underground.
Having spent many hours in underground mines across Australia and Africa, Roy saw firsthand the impact of poor lighting on miners’ safety, productivity and well-being.
Miners often faced up to 12 hours a day in darkness or under inadequate lighting.
Traditional lighting sources were also maintenance-intensive, diverting electrical teams away from critical production tasks and impacting overall mine output.
Recognising a clear industry need, Roy and Carinne began designing and sourcing a range of purpose-built LED strip lighting solutions for mining. tunnel construction and other hazardous environments.
“Joining the mining industry some 12 years ago and working underground, I realised just how poor the lighting conditions were, making it difficult to get anything done,” MineGlow co-founder and director Roy Pater said.
“Being 12 hours underground without adequate lighting is physically challenging and really taxing on a miner’s well-being.
“Our very first customers were the Queensland coal mines, and in fact, our very first deal was with Anglo American.
“They [Anglo American] purchased 13km of our lights for their Moranbah North and Grosvenor mines, after we demonstrated the difference that constant and consistent illumination could make in an underground work area.
“It became apparent very quickly that the MineGlow LED Strip Lights were far superior to their existing lighting solutions. both in terms of illumination and minimal maintenance.
“These LED Strip lights have lasted around 10 years without the need to be replaced or installed.”
As demand continues to grow in tunnel construction, manufacturing plants, conveyor systems and water treatment facilities for consistent and constant lighting, MineGlow’s lighting solutions now illuminate a wide range of industrial sites.
MineGlow has also grown to become the world’s largest distributor of the x-Glo LED strip lighting products in Australia, West Africa, the UK and Mongolia, selling x-Glo’s industrial range of strip lights through its reliable network of local agents.
These LED lights are fully encapsulated with silicone, with the compound designed to resist dust, humidity, chemicals and extreme environment temperatures without failing or causing an explosion -perfect for an underground operation.
Market leading solutions
MineGlow is continuing to expand and evolve its range of in-house solutions through ongoing investment in product research and development.
MineGlow’s commitment to safety innovation in the LED strip lighting sector has delivered a number of industry firsts for the company, including installing Australasia’s first purpose-built industrial lighting in an LED strip light, having the world’s longest continual hazardous LED lighting strip capable of operating up to 400m between power sources and the world’s first LED strip emergency lighting for mining and tunnelling.
“Our most innovative development has been our explosion-proof LED strip. No-one thought it was possible to create an explosion-proof light until we released it in 2019,” Mr Pater said.
“The biggest challenge was developing a silicone extrusion that could safely contain any potential ignition. After three years of product development. we achieved this. and the x-Glo EXM LED Strip attained IECEx and ATEX certification.”
The next 10 years for MineGlow
As a leader in the mining industry for LED lighting, MineGlow aims to continue its growth trajectory over the next decade, focusing on delivering quality service and ongoing product improvements.
In the past 10 years, MineGlow has supplied over 200km of LED strip lighting. with only 160m requiring replacement.
MineGlow is committed to maintaining this low failure rate as it expands its products to other industrial sectors, including oil and gas, granaries, distilleries, cold storage, sewage treatment, plants and defence.
“We’re expanding our team and bringing in more specialists as we shift focus towards the oil and gas sector,” Mr Pater said.
“We’re also developing an intrinsically safe LED Strip light for use in zone zero environments and an explosion proof battery backup system for emergency lighting or areas with unrealiable power.”
As seen on the Australian Mining Review.
