Emergency Control Room Design for Mines
An emergency control room built for the worst shift of the year
Since 28 March 2025, Chapter 16 of the Mine Health and Safety Regulations sets nine minimum requirements for the emergency control room at every underground mine. We review your room against them, then design the changes.
Most rooms already meet the documentary requirements. The gaps are usually in the room itself: how communications are separated, how the emergency line stands out, and how events are recorded. Read our summary of the nine requirements.
Readiness review
Your room and procedures checked against regulation 16.5(1)(j), point by point, with a written gap list.
Independent communications
A second communication path to outside parties that does not share the failure points of the first.
A line that stands out
The emergency line rings differently from every other call, so the controller knows to act at once.
Event recording
A position and method for recording every event and instruction in sequence, ready for any inquiry.
Access and layout
Room layout and access control that keep only authorised people present during an emergency.
Three Ways We Help
Review
A site review of the room, communications and procedures against Chapter 16, with a prioritised gap list.
Live, phased, night work
Design
Layout, communications separation, event recording and access control, designed and specified for your mine.
MOC, permits, surveys
Delivery
In South Africa we can supply, fabricate and install as one accountable party, or supervise your contractors.
Outage programme
Chapter 16 in Numbers
9
Minimum requirements for the emergency control room
0
Days of transition: in force on 28 March 2025
3
Years before a control room management certificate must be renewed
100+
Control rooms designed by Oculus
From Notice 6052, Government Gazette No. 52388. This page is a summary, not legal advice.
What Chapter 16 does not require
Nothing in Chapter 16 obliges a mine to buy a video wall, new consoles or any particular product. It sets out what the room must do and who must be in it. Our review says where your room already complies, and where it does not, before anyone talks about equipment.
Surface and open-pit operations are not covered by the nine room requirements in regulation 16.5(1)(j), but regulation 16.5(7)(iii) still brings parts of Chapter 16 to surface mines. Being outside the nine requirements is not the same as being outside Chapter 16.
Standards Behind Every Design
We design with reference to the standards that matter for people in control rooms. Tap a card to see what each one covers.
ISO 11064Ergonomic design of control centresTap to read more
Layout, workstation, display and environmental requirements for control rooms, from concept to evaluation.
ISO 6385Ergonomics of work systemsTap to read more
The principles behind designing work around people: tasks, equipment and environment together.
EEMUA 201Control room design guidanceTap to read more
Practical guidance on human-centred control room and HMI design for process industries.
EEMUA 191Alarm systemsTap to read more
How to design, manage and measure alarm systems so operators are not flooded.
ISA-18.2 / IEC 62682Alarm management lifecycleTap to read more
The lifecycle for alarm philosophy, rationalisation and performance monitoring.
ISA-101HMI designTap to read more
How operator screens should be structured, from plant overview down to equipment detail.
IOGP 454Human factors in projectsTap to read more
Human factors engineering built into capital projects from the start.
Your site codesLocal and owner specificationsTap to read more
Your own specifications and the codes in force where you build always take precedence.
Frequently asked questions
Does Chapter 16 apply to my mine?
The nine emergency control room requirements in regulation 16.5(1)(j) apply to every underground mine. Surface and open-pit operations fall under other parts of Chapter 16, including regulation 16.5(7)(iii).
Does the regulation require a video wall?
No. It sets requirements for plans, communications, people and records. Equipment is one way of meeting some of them, not a requirement in itself.
Who must be in control of the room?
A person holding a Mine Manager’s certificate, at all times during an emergency. A competent person must also record events and instructions in sequence.
How long does a readiness review take?
It depends on the number of shafts and rooms involved. We agree the scope and timing with you before we start.
Is this legal advice?
No. We design rooms that work in an emergency and map them to the regulation. For legal interpretation, speak to your legal adviser.