The diagnostic results generated by the platform can help users make the right decision when things go wrong, in terms of performance and health and safety at the company's mine sites.

That information is then used to do a ‘deep-dive' analysis, to get to the root cause of problems and prevent repeat occurrences.

"We developed OiS in-house in response to a growing need in the business," said occupational health and hygiene lead Cas Badenhorst. "Some of our key stakeholders needed a tool that would allow them to evaluate workplace and external environments and impacts on communities, as well as monitor control performance."

The OiS system can receive, record and analyse data such as air flow, gas levels etc. from multiple sources on to a single platform that also has analytical and reporting capabilities.

OiS is already in place at several of the miner's businesses including Anglo American Platinum, where potential exposure to health hazards is being reduced by real-time monitoring of dust, noise and gases.

Application of the OiS platform has assisted the Rustenburg Base Metals Refinery (RBMR) team to achieve significant reductions in personal exposures to airborne pollutants within twelve months by optimising control measures.

When asked about the value contribution of the OiS platform, RBMR general manager Fortune Mashimbye said: "OiS informs me daily of health-related control performance and supplies me with data and information, so I can act on substandard conditions. Having access to real-time information on workplace conditions and control status empowers me and my team to actively protect the health of the RBMR employees."

The system is currently being introduced at the Kumba Iron Ore business, Coal South Africa and Copper's Chagres site in Chile. Further roll-outs are planned for Brazil and Botswana in 2019.

The next phase of development will include predictive analysis that could, potentially, prevent control failures and health and safety incidents from happening.