In an unprecedented event, the Safety and Health Technology Fair was held at the Frisco Research and Development (FID) facilities. With the participation of students from various universities in the state of Zacatecas, 14 innovative projects focused on improving safety and health conditions in the mining environment were presented. These were evaluated by representatives of well-known mining companies in Zacatecas.
Engineer Dante Enrique Aguilar Casillas, IDF Exploration Director, opened the event with a message that underscored the importance of safety in the mining industry. "The industry should not only be concerned with production and efficiency, but also with maintaining a safe and healthy work environment, relying on innovation and technology for the well-being of all," he stated. Aguilar Casillas also emphasized that this type of event reinforces the industry's commitment to the prevention of accidents and occupational diseases.
The event was not only a platform for young students, future professionals in the sector, but also a showcase of the role that technology plays in the modernization and automation of the mining industry. The projects presented were evaluated under criteria such as economic viability, social impact, environmental sustainability and technical feasibility, reflecting the level of professionalism expected from the new generations of engineers.
Among the sponsors who evaluated the projects were Arian Silver, Grupo Terra, Camino Rojo, Peñoles Unidad Sabinas and Minera Frisco. The latter presented the first place prize, personal protective equipment (PPE) valued at approximately 22,000 pesos.
The winning projects, which will be key to the future of the mining sector, achieved high standards of quality and applicability, which reinforces the objective of encouraging creativity and the commitment of young people to occupational health and safety in an industry that is becoming more and more technical.
First place:
Design and implementation of a seismic network in the northern part of the metropolitan area of Zacatecas, by students of the Academic Unit of Earth Sciences of the Autonomous University of Zacatecas.
Second place:
Safety Management, EPP Vision, for the ninth semester student Jesús Emiliano Macias Hernández of Instituto Tecnológico de Zacatecas.
Third place:
Leaching of precious metals from old tailings, by students of the Academic Unit of Earth Sciences of the Autonomous University of Zacatecas.
Fourth place:
Helmet with vital sensors, for students of the National Polytechnic Institute.
Fifth place:
Blood oxygenation monitor for external oxygenation flow control, by students of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional.
In addition, projects were presented such as intercommunicator for respirator, ventilator-smoke extractor, gas sensors, control of personal protective equipment, explorer robot for earthquakes and landslides, 5S management in the plant, carbon nanosponges, cellulose sponges with polyaniline, electromyography systems, among others.
The participating universities were the Instituto Politécnico Nacional Campus Zacatecas (IPN), the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Zacatecas, the Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas (UAZ), the Universidad Politécnica de Zacatecas (UPZ), the Universidad Autónoma de Fresnillo (UAF) and the Universidad Tecnológica del Estado de Zacatecas (UTZAC).
All students and universities were congratulated by the mining companies for their talent, participation and above all their initiative in improving the good practices of the mining industry in the state of Zacatecas.
With information from Minera Frisco.