Mine Safety Gear

With the tragedy at Sago Mine, the question of miner safety has become a major issue. To me, it's not just an issue of having ample rescue teams, but also of wearable computing. Some mines are using sensors throughout the mines, but why not go the next step and incorporate wearable computing to put sensors on the people themselves?

Some larger mine operations have atmospheric monitoring systems, with sensors placed throughout the mine to detect methane levels, smoke and carbon monoxide. All the information is fed into a computer on the surface, and dispatchers relay information about system failures to the teams below ground, said Mr. O'Dell.

I know wearable computing is expensive, and mines are not known for good wages, but it seems like they still lack simple communicative technologies, as ways for miners to communicate with the surface in the event of an emergency. Lets get these guys some technology folks!

[ Link via Google News. Image from NPR. ]