The working area of the boom(s) of a Tunneling drill is a dangerous areas. The risk of injury due to rock fall, collision with moving boom(s), or rotating drilling rod is major, and statistics show several fatalities registered every year.
In order to mitigate this risk, Sandvik has developed the Access Protector system for Tunneling drills.
If the Sandvik Access Protector system recognizes a person in the detection field, thanks to laser scanner fences located on both sides of the machine, boom and drilling movements will automatically be stopped.
In other words, the Sandvik Access Protector prevents anyone from entering the working area of the booms while they are in operation. If boom operation is automatically stopped, the system must be reset by pressing the acknowledgement button, after ensuring that no-one is in the hazard zone.