Mining Safety Alert: Rock Falls
The Victorian Mining Safety regulator has advised that a serious incident occurred where approximately 100 tonnes of rock falls into an open stope brow. The ground failed while a drill rig was being used to clean a production hole. The rig’s operator was uninjured, but employees had been preparing production holes for explosives in the area below the collapsed ground just hours before.
The ore drive had several modes of ground support in place, including split sets, cable bolts and shotcrete. These were all installed to industry accepted standards. Routine inspections of the site prior to the incident had not identified any abnormal geological or geotechnical issues. After the incident, the area was isolated to allow further geotechnical investigation.
The Department advised that during work, underground mines:
- routinely inspect active underground mine workings
- ensure ground support activities are completed in line with planned ground support specifications and methodology
Additionally, regular rock fall and ground support information and training must be provided to employees to enable early detection of rock fall hazards and to assess the suitability of ground supports.
Reference: Information supplied by Worksafe Victoria
Read more Mining Safety News
Add Comment