Matrix representative Brian Jones told International Longwall News yesterday that MSHA signed off on all components of M3 and the company was notified on Tuesday.

The system, intended for continuous miners, is now approved for use in all United States underground coal operations.

Jones said the submission for approval on the entire system, including the transmitter, the receiver and the controller, was made in November 2007 while the transmitter unit for the miner operator was approved last October.

This step now gives the entire system the ability to be placed and utilized.

“We are extremely proud of this achievement and what it means for continuous miner operator safety,” Matrix president Aric Pryor said.

“This approval paves the way for implementation on production continuous miners, which we plan to start immediately.”

According to officials the M3 system detects signals from a person-worn transmitter and determines “red zone” potential – or if the worker has come into a hazardous location.

When that is triggered, the entire continuous miner will shut down.

Jones said the Matrix team has already been hard at work getting the system into place for mines but can now move ahead at a more rapid pace.

“The product has been installed on a production continuous miner at an Alliance Coal mine, however, until this approval was received testing was limited to the first open cross cut,” he said.

“Now that approval has been received testing in a production setting will commence immediately.”

The company, he added, is already back at the drawing table for the next technological step it will take.

“Matrix is working with a large OEM to bring the product to market quickly,” he confirmed.