The products in the suite include Safety Plus Hoist Monitor (SPHM), Safety Plus Hoist Protector (SPHP) and Safety Plus Brake System (SPBS) including Safety Brake Hydraulics (SBH).

It also includes the new ABB SIL 3 Safety Plus Brake System (SPBS), the mining industry's first fully independently certified Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL 3) mine hoist brake system ABB said.

"SPBS will increase the safety of personnel riding mine hoists as well as the safety of the equipment, hoist and shaft infrastructure. The new SPHP provides enhanced protection for the mine hoist and mine shaft infrastructure equipment."

"[It] handles the application of the safety brakes during emergency stops and the prevention of brake lift [and] monitors the speed and position of the hoists. It also monitors the instrumentation used by personnel accessing or using the hoist from different levels, for example, at gates and maintenance platforms, emergency stop buttons and remote lockout points."

To bring or keep the hoist in a safe state, the SPHP interfaces with the safety brake system as well as with the drive and hoist control system.

The products, ABB explained, have been designed to be compliant with IEC62061 standards, and were independently certified by the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE).

Global Product Line Manager for Hoisting Oswald Deuchar said: "Components and self-diagnostics will ensure high availability of the mine hoist while providing the highest level of safety. These products are ready-made safety solutions, which are exhaustively tested in house, and designed for tough mine environments."