NIOSH hires W.Va. company to develop underground tracking system

NIOSH hires W.Va. company to develop underground tracking systemAugust 30, 2007 3:22 PM

PHILIPPI, W.Va.

A Philippi company has won a contract to develop a system to track miners underground.Extreme Endeavors has until the end of December to develop a prototype tracking device under a $198,000 contract with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The company is one of two working on the project.
Company CEO Mike Masterman says the biggest challenge will be to design a device that isn't too cumbersome.
Masterman says he hopes to develop a device that is small enough to fit inside a fanny pack.
Tracking miners underground has become an issue in the past year because of deadly accidents at West Virginia's Sago Mine and mines in Kentucky and Utah.
If the federal agency likes the concept, Masterman say his company may enter into contracts to complete the design and begin construction.
Masterman's company has designed heart and breathing monitors for firefighters and has helped NASA research global warming.