Safety in underground mining is framed by Johan Mostert, SHEQT Executive at Redpath Africa, as a core operational discipline rather than a standalone compliance task, requiring integration into planning, communication, decision-making and daily task execution. He stresses that rapidly changing geotechnical conditions and production pressure can quickly erode controls if safety is not embedded in frontline behaviours and supervisory routines. For engineers and managers, this points to designing procedures, shift plans and reporting systems where hazard identification, ground control checks and clear communication protocols are treated as primary production inputs.

Volvo Group is creating a dedicated Volvo Mining business to consolidate sales of Volvo-branded haul trucks, construction equipment and autonomous solutions into a single global mining-focused structure. The entity will integrate on-road and off-road fleets with autonomy platforms across load–haul, pit and haul road applications, targeting large open-pit operations as well as smaller contract miners. For mine planners and fleet engineers, this signals tighter OEM integration between conventional diesel fleets and emerging autonomous haulage and support equipment within one commercial and support framework.

Overland conveyors are returning to mine planning as ABB Process Industries President Joachim Braun links them to energy resilience, higher productivity and efficiency at large, power-intensive sites. Speaking at the FT Metals and Mining Summit in London, Braun pointed to long-distance conveying as a way to stabilise electrical load profiles compared with diesel truck fleets and to integrate more on-site renewables. For geotechnical and civil teams, this signals renewed demand for multi‑kilometre conveyor corridors, elevated structures and substations designed around high-capacity, continuously loaded belts.