In the East Kazakhstan region, an emergency capsule is being developed to rescue miners and workers of hazardous metallurgical industries. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Similar technologies are already used in several countries, including Russia and Australia. Kazakh engineers expect that the domestic capsule will be able to accommodate more than 20 people at once.
Capsule design and capabilities
The structure is planned to be made of steel and equipped with autonomous life support systems. In case of a collapse or other accident, the capsule should protect people from debris. Inside, a supply of oxygen, medicines, and equipment designed for approximately 36 hours of autonomous operation will be provided.
Project prospects
Currently, developers are creating prototypes. In the future, the technology is ready to be implemented at industrial enterprises, but the project's implementation will depend on the interest of mining companies.
One of the project developers, Bulat Syptayev, believes that one such capsule will not be enough at large enterprises.
"More than 600 people go down per shift, so one capsule is simply not enough. In my understanding, an emergency rescue capsule is like a fire extinguisher in a building: they need to be placed in several places," he noted.
Statistics and expectations
According to available data, over the past year alone, more than 2,500 accidents occurred in Kazakhstan's mining sector. Developers hope that the new system will improve the safety of workers at mines and metallurgical enterprises.