For quick visual inspection, the oxygen-based, belt-worn M-20 SCSR features an oxygen gauge, transparent casing and a tamper indicator.
NLT Queensland service supervisor Dave Carter told ILN the unit had a steel ball bearing under the opening latch, and if it wasn’t there it meant the SCSR had been tampered with.
He said the testing for M-20 was not as rigorous either.
Unlike the potassium oxide-based SCSRs, Carter said the M-20 did not need to weighed, shaken or sonically tested for the size of the pill in it.
With the clear cover, miners just have to make sure the tamper ball hasn’t been removed and must check the oxygen gauge to ensure the cylinder is full.
The unit also comes with a clear Teflon hood option, which fits over the head and tightens around the neck with a drawstring.
The use of the hood means the user is not relying on the mouthpiece, making it easier to breathe.
For visibility, Carter said the hood exceeded US Navy field of view requirements, with the gear used in US submarines and navy ships.
The ruggedness of the unit has also been extensively tested for US military use.
“They’ve actually tested it by dropping it out of an aeroplane,” Carter said.
“It survived a 750m fall.”
Ocenco’s SCSRs are designed for an Australian service life of at least 10 years but the M-20 has an 18-minute Australia-approved performance duration, a bit less than competitor units, with Carter saying mines might have to make some slight changes to their escape strategies.
The design of the M-20 casing is shaped to better fit the body and also to make the corners less likely to catch on other equipment while moving around.
The M-20 is 18.3cm high, 16.5cm wide and 7.9cm thick, has total weight of 1.5kg and donned weight of 0.86kg.
Ocenco’s EBA 6.5 SCSR also uses compressed oxygen designed to deliver more than 90 minutes worth.
For use in caches, the bigger unit also has the clear tamper-proof transparent sealed case and an oxygen gauge.
The EBA 6.5 is 21.6cm high, 30cm wide and 11.4cm thick, and has a total weight of about 4kg.
