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By M S. Tuohy

Poorly judged or under-appreciated change plays a role in many major accidents. In particular, operational changes related to continuous improvement, maintenance and introduction of new technology can lead to unintended safety (and other) consequences. This paper provides an overview of the role of management of change in preventing unwanted impacts on safety, community relationships and the environment. It draws on a range of incidents covering mining, minerals processing, refining and smelting where inadequately assessed or ineffectively implemented change led to significant safety, environmental or community consequences. The paper will also highlight cases of well-managed complex change and the underlying model of decision-making in place to make those decisions. All these examples are drawn from Atturra’s experience in response to accidents or working with sites to improve their management systems. The paper will report on the challenges of applying conventional risk assessment approaches to complex or technically significant change. These typically result in either onerous and lengthy change procedures that are prone to workarounds or poor implementation. Conversely, ‘light touch’ or efficiency driven change processes present the risk of intended consequences by failing to bring appropriate expertise to bear in decision-making. Such balances can be resolved by considering the designation of ‘technical authority’ with appropriate expertise to consider the change and deconflict any production, cost or schedule trade-offs. Finally, the paper will reflect on the key components of management of change systems in the context of major accidents, highlighting good practice in how they are implemented. This will consider the integration of existing corporate processes, risk management and organisational structures into management of change systems, not just the content of change forms and procedures.

Apr 16, 2024

By G Guy, J Summerville

Over the past five years in coalmine slope evaluation the application of 3D modelling has increased significantly as software has become more user friendly but also areas requiring evaluation have become increasingly complex. Often simplistic 2D Limit Equilibrium modelling and analysis has been poorly used to solve slope stability issues by back analysis and subsequent forward predictive analysis. A plane strain condition with slope movement perpendicular to the slope strike is assumed where in reality the problem is more complex. This often leads to a misinterpretation of the failure mechanism because the failure mechanism being modelled in 2D does not generally represent the actual failure mechanism observed in the pit, with 2D modelling often oversimplifying a slope. This paper presents a case study where the initial slope assessment and remedial design evaluation was undertaken as a 2D Limit Equilibrium model which led to an overly conservative and costly remedial solution being implemented. Subsequent modelling of the slope using both 3D Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element methods were able to provide a better understanding of the structural complexities associated and correlate well with slope monitoring data to create a more realistic outcome.

Nov 29, 2022

By W J. Haylock, K Wasiel

PX4 Software Pty Ltd is a Brisbane-based company, which specialises in providing tenement management software to mining and exploration teams operating in Australia and several international jurisdictions, including the United States, Africa, and Canada. Whilst the company is experiencing substantial growth due to a demand from both the minerals and mining technology sector, there is a crucial gap in the market for critical minerals, which will be required to achieve the net-zero emissions goal set by the Paris Agreement for 2050. To help understand and address the technology gap identified by the unprecedented demand, PX4 Software undertook the Annual Survey of Technological Transformation in the Exploration Industry. This survey involved interviews with 12 very distinguished subject matter experts in the fields of Geoscience and Geology from across the globe. From this survey, we have defined eight major categories of exploration technologies. Notably, the most transformative of these technologies over the past 65 years falls into the Geophysical Methodology category, specifically focusing on image and signal processing of both airborne and downhole data. Advances in computing power during this period have significantly improved data processing quality, enhancing orebody modelling, and targeting. This has had a profound impact on the industry. Moreover, the survey reveals that future transformative technologies are expected to centre on the automation of existing processes through AI and Machine Learning techniques. This is expected to help facilitate the identification of critical mineral systems and thus enable the exploration industry to make more informed decisions based on data analysis using Machine Learning and AI.

Sep 1, 2024

By A Fern, A Hawkes, o

This presentation will cover: the importance of high-quality safety leadership; insights from a Safety Climate Survey that includes responses from 7903 employees working at 19 Australian mining organisations; the results of a critical control verification (CCV) coaching intervention; and recommendations for improving safety leadership in high-risk work settings. Safety climate is a representation of the deeper culture that exists in an organisation. Safety climate is predictive of behaviour, performance and reporting in organisations. Leaders play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of culture. Perceptions of safety climate were collected from 19 Australian mines (n = 7903 employees). These results indicate that the Australian mining sector is doing well in team support for safety and supervisor safety commitment. There were negative perceptions of willingness to report errors, employee involvement in safety initiatives, psychological safety and emergency readiness. Perceptions of safety leadership were in the fair range, with recognising behaviours perceived lowest, falling in the poor range. The underreporting rate was at 25 per cent indicating that 1 in 4 incidents are not being reported. Analyses exploring climate, leadership, safety behaviour and well-being will also be discussed. The integrity and success of critical risk management systems is often determined by the quality of safety leadership. Leaders need a mix of technical safety knowledge and interpersonal skills to be able to support the workforce to build critical control knowledge that invites open and collaborative discussions to find new or improved solutions. Forty leaders at a major mining operation completed training and 5-weeks of coaching focused on developing critical control verification competencies. The follow-up evaluation demonstrated significant improvements in relationship building, observation of controls and overall capability. Overall, insights from multi-organisation climate data and a prepost coaching intervention will be discussed and recommendations and practical guidance for leaders will be provided.

Apr 16, 2024

By M Qiao, A Sugden, W Zong, J Hines, J Roberts, T Ren

Long-term exposure to respirable dust continues to present an occupational health and safety hazard to mine workers in underground mines. Workers who are exposed to mine dust can develop occupational lung diseases including coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) or ‘black lung’, progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To demonstrate the exposure impact of certain working conditions and improve dust management in longwall development panels, this paper details the development of a computational fluid dynamicsvirtual reality (CFD-VR) based training tool. The tool has been developed as an educational platform to facilitate the effective communication of workplace health and safety (WH&S) dust control measures for continuous miner operators and engineers. The study introduces a promising approach to model ventilation and dust flow patterns based on site-specific data, employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for a detailed analysis and visualisation of these mechanisms. Additionally, an algorithm has been developed for processing the large and complex CFD data sets into a form amenable for visualisation within a virtual reality (VR) environment using standalone VR headsets with limited processing power. This training tool has been deployed to mine sites with the specific purpose of educating users on the hazards of dust emissions and the best practices for control.

Apr 16, 2024

By K Muller, T Oosthuizen

Blast exclusion zones are instrumental in protecting equipment and personnel. When there is no constraint in footprint, the exclusion zone can be enormous, practically eliminating the hazard of flyrock. Unfortunately, this may not always be the case and in many circumstances the blast design needs to be altered to suite such scenarios. When a conservative design approach is taken, it could completely eliminate any form of ejection, whether it is from the free face or the bench itself. The degree to which typical flyrock models describe fragment motion through air with ballistic flight equations are not justified when such a high level of control is applied. This paper examines various methods of risk analysis and suggests an approach to be used for controlled blasting.The outcome of principles discussed in this paper can be seen in video form (Mavmedia, 2014).CITATION:Muller, K and Oosthuizen, T, 2015. Should the blast exclusion zone be based on a qualitative or quantitative analysis? A practical implementation conundrum, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 425–428 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By G Pizarro, O Miranda, D Rosales

In panel/block caving mines, large amounts of information are collected at the operations. This information includes grades and extracted tonnage, fragmentation, lithology, design of stopes and main infrastructure, geotechnical information, overbreak progress, seismicity, numerical modelling and many other mine variables. To improve the reliability of the production plan it is required to integrate the mine data into one platform. In this paper, the logic of a new technological platform is presented for analysis, modelling and design in panel/block caving mines. The platform includes an acquisition system for mine data and geotechnical information, a back-analysis module for calibrating statistical models and a module of visualisation of the results. The application and benefits of the platform is illustrated for mining induced seismic risk for panel/block caving mining operation. The platform can be used in the mine design and planning processes and is useful for reducing uncertainty in the mining business of panel/block caving operations.CITATION:Miranda, O, Rosales, D, Pizarro, G and Vallejos, J, 2016. Development of an integrated platform for the analysis, modelling and design in panel caving mines, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 237–240 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By A G. L Pratt

Inclined troughed belt conveyors are more frequently being selected from a range of alternatives, which include shafts and trucks for ore haulage in underground mass mining projects. Belt conveyor haulage systems are being operated with lifts exceeding those normally associated with truck haulage systems and approaching the limits of shaft haulage systems. A belt conveyor haulage system, in this context, incorporates subsystems for: crushing,tramp detection and removal, andhaulage. This paper presents details of recent inclined troughed belt conveyor systems for underground mining operations, and explores the application of inclined troughed belt conveyors for the increasing demands of future underground mass mining projects.

Jan 1, 2008

By J Pearce, R Ramanathan

hortly after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the words ‘social distancing’ entered the global lexicon. The effects on the public of social distancing, lockdowns and travel bans are well documented. They also present unique challenges to the mining industry. For Hexagon’s Mining division, this posed a significant challenge. We have built our business – our reputation – on regional, customer-focused service and support. True to Hexagon’s values of being professional, engaged and customer-focused, we innovated to overcome the distance dilemma. Making automation a reality for our customers by implementing and supporting technology projects from a distance has helped deepen partnerships by making it easier to tap into our global experts’ knowledge. For example: • Body cameras were at the heart of a successful safety installation at a mine in Ghana. Despite the pandemic lockdown preventing travel by our South Africa staff into Ghana, the project was completed with minimal delays. • Traditionally, implementation and training for our Blast Movement Technology solution is done physically at the mine site. With COVID-19 travel restrictions in place, we have developed and successfully employed a remote deployment methodology. • Using RealWearTM headsets in the field and utilising the knowledge management platform from HINDSITE, Hexagon workshop technicians have been able to support hardware repairs in local offices, which once would have been undertaken in our overseas offices. • The same headset is being utilised to provide clients with remote mentoring sessions by our skilled team members who are based in our regional locations and unable to travel to their site without extensive quarantine commitments. • In instances where our team members have had to travel to site, we have provided consumer technology such as VR headsets to help them cope with long periods of quarantine to and from site. Post-pandemic, Hexagon will continue to refine and improve this method of working. INTRODUCTION Shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 (COVID) a pandemic, the words ‘social distancing’ entered the global lexicon. As governments, healthcare organisations and the public scrambled to respond to the crisis, one thing became abundantly clear: isolation was and, for most of us, still is the key to maintaining our health. Hexagon, a leader in sensor, software and autonomous solutions, was well positioned to pivot and assist in the global response to the crisis. From simulations of the effects of social distancing to mapping the spread of COVID in real time, to drone technology delivering COVID tests, to providing communities with transparent geospatial information, Hexagon solutions continue to help ensure that innovation is readily available to those who need it most during uncertain times. The effects on the public of social distancing, lockdowns and travel bans are well documented. They also present unique challenges to the mining industry.

Jun 22, 2022

By G Deans, M Longbottom

OZ Minerals’ Carrapateena mine is one of Australia’s newest ‘greenfield’ mining deposits. It will be a 4.25 Mtpa sub level cave underground operation, with an estimated mine life of 20 years. The integration of stakeholder values to inform project development influenced the social and environmental outcomes. A Native Title Mining agreement was developed in 12 months. Project primary approval was obtained 12 months from submission, with achievable licence conditions and one public comment. The project moved from a Pre-feasibility Study in 2016 to construction in 2018. Following recent international dam failures, the Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) was a focus for Government approvals and stakeholder engagement. Significant effort was made into understanding the science around potential effects, impacts and risks. A leading practice Impact Assessment Framework that identified Sources, Pathways and Receptors was applied. A process of failure mode identification and layers of protection analysis was undertaken for robust design controls at each stage, while simultaneously transitioning between downstream and upstream discharge arrangements. Participatory selection of the TSF site and design layout was critical in managing project costs and environmental constraints, and in incorporating cultural heritage constraints and technical risks.

Jul 1, 2021

By M Revell, B Sainsbury, D Sainsbury

This paper extends the existing knowledge associated with the design and placement of prefabricated pastefill barricades through a consideration of asymmetric drive geometry and conditions. The load capacity of prefabricated barricades and their failure modes are considered in relation to abutment geology and barricade geometry that includes curvature and span and drive geometry that includes abutment angles, haunch angles and misalignment. Design charts are provided for typical barricade sizes to provide general guidance for design capacities and optimising location placement based on asymmetric drive geometry. A recent barricade failure is considered in relation to the drive geometry and the potential impact it had on the installed capacity.

Nov 29, 2022

By S Amor, A Beasley

This paper provides an example of how industry can respond to the implementation of new regulatory approaches to mining risk, health and safety by adopting a robust, practical, software-based approach to the management of risk accountabilities in terms of competence, experience and suitability for obligations and responsibilities, as required in Queensland Coal Mining operations due to the introduction of Recognised Standard 22 (‘RS22’; Resources Safety and Health Queensland, 2021). Based on the authors’ experience from working with several Qld mine operations, it offers a snapshot of the experiences, approaches and reservations faced collectively by industry as a result of the introduction of RS22. Several challenges exist within the detail of RS22, leading to varied interpretations, implementation strategies and overall compliance between mine sites. Arguably the single biggest challenge identified has been how to find a balance between compliance and practicality – considering cost, operational interruption, available pathways for delivery of competence, ongoing compliance and value adding to the business operations and people. Software-based solutions are increasingly being relied upon to address the introduction of new regulatory approaches and the significant administrative load placed on mining operation Site Senior Executives (‘SSE’) due to RS22 means this case is no different. This is further complicated given the continuous, ongoing changes with the site management structure witnessed by the authors across each of the mining operations as a result of continuous changes to personnel, the site risk profile and an overall mining industry uncertainty of how to respond to RS22. The stringent reporting/notification requirements under legislation compounds this further. The approach put forward by the authors is a well-considered rationale and approach to the application of training and skilling; and equally how to ‘future proof’ the coordination of site training needs around changes to the Management Structure, the Risk Register, skilling processes and succession planning. A brief investigation of other legislative frameworks concluded this approach would likely meet or exceed expectations of jurisdictions across Australia and overseas, making this a highly flexible approach for establishing a competent Management Structure to provide safe systems of work.

Apr 16, 2024

By L Vimercati, R Williams

Transitioning to a green future requires the mining industry to adopt sustainable practices. Filtered tailings are become a key expectation of the communities we operate in and are growing in a number or mining commodities including bauxite, nickel, gold and iron ore. The filtration technologies required range from dewatering screens to vacuum and pressure filters. Particular challenges faced in iron ore applications include large scale which means several units of large size are often required. In addition, a high specific gravity that cause sedimentation issues and a high abrasion level make demands on achieving reliability level at above 90 per cent. This paper describes the testing, selection criteria and specific features required to provide a rational option for equipment and plant design. An example of how this has been applied in an iron ore application in Brazil is used to demonstrate a successful outcome. This project installed four overhead beam filter presses each producing around 200 t/hr utilising a recessed chamber plate, feed pressures up to 15 bar, cake thickness of 5 mm. The moisture lower than 20 per cent that was produced was considered to provide material with handling and geotechnical properties to guarantee a safe stacking. Regular high pressure washing at 100 bar was considered imperative to maintain cloth life and process performance. The correct management of the system (OPEX control) by PLC control ensures a balance between machine potentials and plant needs. With this equilibrium it is possible to limit mechanical wear preserving equipment lifetime.

Sep 18, 2023

By J P. van Dijk, M Munro

Discrete vein modelling presents an innovative geology driven 3D modelling method for quantification of vein hosted mineral deposits, with far reaching potential for critical mineral supply and low impact resource extraction. By integrating key geological drivers with advanced discrete fracture network modelling, the DMX protocol (launched in 2019) converges to a more realistic representation of complex vein systems in three-dimensional space. The approach insights greater geologic reasoning in distributing mineral grades where vein boundaries are already defined. This presents a viable alternative to existing modelling and estimation methods and has important implications for mineral resource estimation and reporting. Further implications are discussed, where the enhanced understanding of complex orebody characteristics can potentially be used in optimising mining and mineral processing, supporting more sustainable and efficient mining practices.

Sep 1, 2024

By M Breen

In 2009, George Fisher mine began to seriously consider the transition from pyrotechnic detonators to electronic detonators. Initially, the electronic detonators were used for complex crown shots or areas where ground conditions had the potential for excessive overbreak. After critically evaluating the potential safety benefits, production increases and ability to redesign stopes to better manage a thinly bedded hanging wall, the mine decided to embrace the technology.

Nov 8, 2011

By J Kwiri, T Zvarivadza, R Mitra, F Cawood

It is crucial to record ground movement of any magnitude to enable the safe and economical design of excavations and infrastructure. The DigiMine Laboratory is equipped with technologies to record such movements. This paper analyses the effectiveness of the Digital Mine instrumentation in recording earth movements in light of the Botswanan earthquake which occurred on the 3rd of April 2017 at 17:40 UTC. Recordings from the Digital Mine are compared with other ground sensing technologies which also captured the event (USGS and GEOFON systems). USGS and GEOFON system’s recordings suggest that, there are a number of possible mechanisms that could have resulted in the earthquake as discussed in the paper. Compared to the USGS and GEOFON systems, DigiMine system could not provide an analysis that could give possible source mechanisms. However, the system’s success in recording the Botswanan earthquake, is an indication that the system works and can be further developed or improved. For a comprehensive analysis, more data from various sensors needs to be collected. For example, DigiMine connecting to the national seismic monitoring system or to the local mine’s seismic monitoring system. Such connections will enable the development of a better self-analysis system and possibly prediction of future events. More importantly, it will contribute to better understanding of regional seismicity and its potential impact on excavation design. CITATION:Kwiri, J, Zvarivadza, T, Cawood, F and Mitra, R, 2018. How efficient is DigiMine technology in recording earth movements? A look at the Botswanan earthquake, in Proceedings The Fourth Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference (AusRock), pp 414–419 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 30, 2018

By T McLeod, B Catto

AngloGold Ashanti Australia’s (AGAA) Tropicana gold mine (TGM) geology department seized the rare opportunity of building a new geology department for a new operation: the philosophy, the people and the processes. Not satisfied with the status quo, or simply repeating what was familiar and already known, the vision was for an innovative, agile, multidiscipline, high performance team, capable of delivering on expectations.To achieve this, the geology department has operationalised key components of human resource management (HRM).This paper describes the operational design and implementation of key HRM components: job analysis, organisational design and organisational development. The benefits of this approach are presented in terms of engagement and autonomy in roles, opportunity for role variety and flexibility of the organisational structure. The result is a geology department that provides the functions of mine geology, resource development, regional exploration, survey, data management, geographic information systems (GIS), resource modelling, scheduling, sample preparation, resource coordination and hydrogeology, and even geotechnical engineering for a year!Considerations for application in other geology departments are presented in terms of fundamental requirements and lessons learnt. Fundamental requirements for success have been the sustained support of the general manager, valuing the scrutiny that comes with continuous improvement, high quality HRM systems and tools within the organisation, and a committed leadership group within the department. One of the most important lessons learnt is that a robust process of ‘induction to role’ is critical – the process of familiarising new starters with who we are and the way we work.CITATION:Catto, B and McLeod, T, 2017. Rewriting the rule book – geology organisational design, in Proceedings Tenth International Mining Geology Conference 2017, pp 137–142 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 20, 2017

By D J. Williams, A Shokouhi, A Naderian

Extracting alumina from bauxite involves the production of fine-grained waste known as red mud. The highly alkaline red mud is usually neutralised by applying sea water, thickened to between 25% and 30% solids by mass, before disposal to a Tailing Storage Facility (TSF). Hydraulic sorting, settling, self-weight consolidation, and desiccation are the processes contributing to the overall volume change of the red mud after deposition. Investigating the effect of these processes on the volume change behaviour of the fine-grained red mud is an important step in the estimation of the required storage volume of the storage facilities. This paper presents the results of a series of laboratory consolidation tests in a slurry consolidometer, and comparisons are made with field testing and observations.CITATION:Shokouhi, A, Naderian, A and Williams, D J, 2018. Assessing the volume change behaviour of red mud through laboratory and field testing, in Proceedings Mine Waste and Tailings Stewardship Conference 2018, pp 309–316 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 23, 2018

By P Lukic

The definition of the working sections that will be used in a mine is usually initially made in the field by the geologist supervising the drilling program. These initial definitions are often made on the basis of rules of thumb such as æcoal less than 30 cm thick cannot be mined separatelyÆ; æpartings more than 30 cm thick will be mined separatelyÆ; and æif a coal seam is less than 50 cm thick and the parting above or below is thicker than the coal, the coal will be wastedÆ. These decisions are also often made based on the requirement for a minimum sample mass for analysis, and the desire to collect data at the minimum resolution to conserve the exploration budget.In many cases the geological models based on this data are produced at a resolution that is inadequate to allow the mining engineer to produce a mine plan that will maximise project value. This problem is generally unrecognised.Where data is collected to a higher level of resolution the subsequent processes employed in the production of geological models and mine plans often discards the inherent value that is hidden in this data. Again this problem is generally unrecognised.This paper highlights this problem and then presents a methodology that ensures that the optimal working section is selected and compares the outcomes of applying this methodology versus adherence to the usual rules of thumb.

Sep 26, 2011

By V Rodríguez, M Hormaza, R J. Romañach, C Pinzón-de la Rosa

The authors have presented their ideas for developing a powder sampling device in the I-Corps™ program sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This is an intensive customer discovery program developed to increase the economic impact of the research sponsored by NSF.The I-Corps™ program requires performing at least 100 interviews with potential customers in various industries. These interviews are essential to establish the need for a particular product or solution, and identify potential commercialisation partners and competition. The interviews have revealed the absence of Theory of Sampling (TOS) principles in many companies. The interviews are designed to identify the difficulties associated with current sampling practices that do not meet TOS principles.The I-Corps™ program is a significant challenge for scientists who often avoid discussing a concept in fear of losing their research idea. The program teaches how to obtain information without releasing the important intellectual property related to a product development idea. The I-Corps™ methods have been used to discover the prevailing ideas on sampling in various industries.I-Corps™ also teaches how to present ideas to investors; another significant challenge for a scientist. We are currently learning to present sampling and TOS to investors and business development experts, and will share some of these experiences.CITATION:Pinzón-de la Rosa, C, Rodríguez, V, Hormaza, M and Romañach, R J, 2017. Theory of Sampling meets the National Science Foundation I-Corps™ program, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 351–354 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017