In the dim light of an underground mining tunnel, where heavy machinery rumbles and human alertness must remain unbroken for hours on end, the mining workforce operates under an unforgiving set of risks.
Mining leaders for years have been balancing between productivity and safety. For instance, it is common for a seemingly routine equipment check to turn into a near-miss, or even worse, all when a sensor is missed, a procedure is ignored, or a hazard is overlooked.
But in 2025, the industry is transforming as digitalisation reaches new depths. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming the invisible guardian of mine sites worldwide—detecting risks before they occur, predicting failures, and preventing life-threatening incidents that once seemed inevitable.
Decoding the Safety Equation in Mining
Mining retains its recognition as one of the most hazardous industries globally. The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) highlighted the increase in total work hours by 4.75% while the number of incidents leading up to a fatality increased by 3.4%.
According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), 23 fatalities have been recorded till September 2025, with 8 surface mine fatalities occurring due to power haulage incidents.
The other common causes identified include fall-of-ground incidents, mobile equipment collisions, and mechanical failures—each capable of escalating into an SIF (Serious Injury and Fatality) within seconds.
Traditional safety measures in the sector rely heavily on lagging indicators such as Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) and Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR). These numbers, while useful for compliance reporting, only describe what has already gone wrong.
The challenge for modern EHS teams is shifting focus to leading indicators—data that provides early warning signals about unsafe conditions or behaviours. AI plays a central role in this evolution.
AI - The Canary in the High-Risk Mines
AI-powered integration in the form of computer vision, video analytics, or IoT devices in mining safety operates as a network of smart observers, continuously monitoring multiple risk layers that humans alone cannot track at once.
For instance, the vision AI intelligence deployed in the existing CCTVs analyse live feeds to detect unsafe acts such as workers entering hazardous zones, non-compliance with PPE based on the type of task or zone, proximity breaches between vehicles and pedestrians, or unsafe stacking near conveyors.
At the same time, the machine learning algorithms process telemetry data from trucks, drills, and conveyors to detect anomalies like vibration spikes or overheating. When thresholds are breached, the AI automatically sends alerts to EHS teams and supervisors.
Global mining companies, including BHP, Gold Fields, and Codelco, are using AI-powered monitoring systems to ensure workforce safety in their sites.
These technologies also extend to atmospheric monitoring. In underground mines, AI-driven ventilation control systems adjust airflows automatically when methane, carbon monoxide, or oxygen levels deviate from safe limits—minimizing exposure risk without waiting for manual intervention.
Every action feeds into a feedback loop that refines the mine’s safety intelligence system. The more data collected, the smarter and faster the predictions become.
Redefining EHS Metrics with AI-Based Safety
For decades, EHS performance has been measured by lagging indicators. While still relevant, these metrics tell only part of the story. AI allows EHS leaders to track new forms of leading indicators, such as:
- Number of near misses on site
- Average hazard response time
- Predictive maintenance accuracy rate
- Real-time behavioural compliance score
A leading mine in Chile turned to AI video analytics to detect recurring instances of safety violations among its workers. In less than six months, the smart AI solutions prevented 14 high-risk incidents that could result in fatality. The automated behavioural surveillance boosted PPE compliance by 44%.
Together, these indicators give EHS managers a dynamic risk map—showing where and when risks are most likely to occur. Over time, this data enables leadership teams to reduce TRIR, improve operational uptime, and make safety an integrated performance metric rather than an afterthought.
“The future of mining safety lies in foresight,” says Gary Ng, CEO of viAct. “AI gives the power to model unsafe conditions, detect deviations, and act before human limitations catch up. It’s not about replacing people—it’s about protecting them with intelligent foresight.”
Towards the Era of Predictive Safety
The conversation about workforce protection in mining is shifting, from reacting to what happened to anticipating what could happen next. Smarter AI solutions are giving EHS professionals unprecedented visibility into the dynamics of risk—enabling them to predict, prevent, and protect with precision.
Mining companies that embrace AI aren’t just achieving compliance—they’re building resilient, intelligent operations where safety and productivity align.
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