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By J Eberhard, C Paton, J Bennett, C Baillie, A Melland, J F. Clewett, T Newsome

A central aim of rehabilitation is to ensure that disturbed land is returned to a post-mine condition that is safe, stable and self-sustaining. This paper describes initial results from a grazing trial at the New Acland open-cut coal mine in southern Queensland (-27.27 lat, 151.72 long) that aims to assess the sustainability and viability of cattle production from rehabilitated mined land compared to production from surrounding unmined lands (Newsome 2014). The grazing trial was established in 2013 by the Acland Pastoral Company, a subsidiary of New Hope Coal, on lands previously used for dairying, beef and crops before open cut coal mining of the Walloon coal measures began in 2002. The area has a mean annual rainfall of 640 mm. Local soils, typically dermosols and vertosols derived from sandstones or overlying basalt flows, are suited to grazing but are marginal for cropping.CITATION:Clewett, J F, Newsome, T, Paton, C, Bennett, J, Melland, A, Eberhard, J and Baillie, C, 2018. Sustainable production from rehabilitated coal mine pastures in southern Queensland’s Brigalow Region – Acland grazing trial results, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 35–37 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

By J R. Taylor, J A. Muchan, S M. Pape, B S. Davis

Acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) is routinely derived from waste rock, tailings, pit wall rock, underground mine voids, heap leach pads, ore stockpiles, concentrate stockpiles and even slag piles. In many jurisdictions, there is an assumption that tailings materials represent the highest AMD risk. This is likely due to their highly sulfidic and ultra-fine grained nature, and the fact that they occur in large tonnage, partially unsaturated deposits. These characteristics are not unreasonably associated with reactive and therefore highly polluting mine waste materials. Interestingly, however, the high sulfide content and highly reactive nature of tailings achieves the rapid consumption of oxygen in tailings pore spaces. This oxygen depletion can limit or halt sulfide oxidation throughout much of the tailings pile. Oxygen can only be resupplied to the tailings via atmospheric exchange at the air-tailings interface. The grain size of most tailings materials limits this resupply to a diffusion related process that only affects the uppermost 100–2000 mm. Hence sulfide oxidation in tailings can be inherently self-limiting. Unfortunately, the same cannot be concluded for waste rock materials.Using a unique site assessment strategy that focuses on quantifying acidity fluxes from various domains at a mine site, it has become increasingly evident that sulfidic waste rock produces the majority (typically 60–80 per cent) of the soluble acid and metalliferous pollution at most active and decommissioned sulfide-bearing mine sites. Whether sulfidic waste rock is disposed in engineered above ground facilities, backfilled into pits or even underground voids, it remains the primary source of pollutants for decades to centuries.Conventional end-dumping waste rock practices result in angle-of-repose pathways for air and water, and these internal fabrics exacerbate sulfide oxidation (ie pollution generation) and discharge from waste rock materials. The primary aim of many cover systems is to retard the access of air and water to these conduits. Recent thinking is that more emphasis needs to be directed at strategic waste rock pile construction practices, and less reliance placed on thin soil cover systems to prevent AMD.Waste rock pile construction approaches that minimise porosity and permeability but raise the retained moisture content and enhance water residence times have the potential to lower sulfide oxidation rates and thereby improve water quality outcomes. For example, innovative base-up, layered and compacted (BULC) waste rock piles have the potential to avoid or minimise the generation of AMD, supersede the need for treatment and facilitate successful closure and relinquishment across the mining sector (Figure 1).CITATION:Taylor, J R, Pape, S M, Davis, B S and Muchan, J A, 2016. Waste rock pile construction to lower closure and relinquishment costs, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2016 Conference, pp 97–99 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 28, 2016

By P J. Bangerter, G D. Corder

With the societal desire and drive towards low carbon energy sources, there is a growing awareness of the important role that minerals and metals will play with renewable energy technologies. Copper is an essential metal for technologies that generate energy from renewable sources, in particular for wind and solar photovoltaic energy systems. A recent report (Arrobas et al., 2017) estimated that the median increase in copper demand through to 2050 for wind technologies and for solar photovoltaics would need to be 250% and 300% respectively to meet the goal of a 2°C global temperature increase scenario compared with a 6°C global increase, which is largely an extension of current trends (IEA, 2018). The aim of this extended abstract is to demonstrate with the necessary increase in copper production for renewable energy technologies that sound sustainability performance across the global copper value chain is to the benefit of government, society and industry.CITATION:Corder, G D and Bangerter, P J, 2018. Balancing the benefits and impacts of future copper demand – climate change and arsenic, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 17–19 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

By A-M Fleury

There has been much progress on the issue of acid drainage over the past 20 years; however, significant challenges remain. The International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP) is attempting to address them by globally coordinating acid drainage information sharing and research. INAP pursues three branches of activities: it links AD research, practice, and people; it organises, sponsors, and participates in regional workshops as a forum for technology transfer; and it instigates and funds key acid drainage research projects. Through these activities INAP is helping the industry deal with what is arguably its most serious legacy issue.

Jan 1, 2003

By D L. Head

Critical risk management (CRM) has become one of the latest safety buzz terms in mining. Everyone seems to be doing it, everyone seems to know about it, yet we are still having fatalities in our industry from well understood hazards such as mobile equipment amongst others.

May 5, 2022

By J Joughin, D Kyan, L Rollin

In line with the 2015 Paris Agreement and corresponding climate disclosure requirements, many mining companies have publicly disclosed that they are developing and/or implementing ambitious decarbonisation strategies. Sometimes these strategies can be linked to the development of community programs and/or the creation of a positive legacy post-closure. Renewable power is key to most decarbonisation strategies – some mines will get this from external sources and others will establish on-site power generation and storage facilities. A range of options are available to develop renewable power generation (eg solar panel, wind farm, hydropower) and energy storage (eg battery, hydrogen, pumped hydroelectricity). Land access, impact assessments, planning and environmental approvals are required to establish new facilities. Host communities are more likely to be in favour of, or at least will accommodate, new power supply developments if these are planned with a benefit to the communities. Transitioning to renewables raises new challenges. Among these are high upfront costs and access to capital, energy demand variability, supply intermittency and variability, storage limitations, grid stability and reliability, transmission and distribution infrastructure constraints. Compounding these challenges are issues such as infrastructure resilience to extreme weather events (eg heat, wind), land use and access, lengthy permitting processes, community perceptions, skilled labour requirements, and meeting mine closure objectives. Renewable energy sources provide a more decentralised source of energy that reduces reliance on imported fuels, thereby increasing energy security and lowering production costs. On the contrary, implementing renewable energy could lead to potential negative impacts such as visual perception from the community, competitive land usage, electricity price raises due to upgrading infrastructure and the use of electricity storage capacities. As part of the definition of an environmental and social management plan, participative stakeholder engagement is required to identify benefits to the communities. For example, among the recognised benefits of developing solar panels (increase job opportunities, reduce soil erosion), various technologies have been experimented globally for the last ten years and are emerging due to their proven community benefits. Key findings to enhance those benefits can range from the development of innovative practices such as ‘agri-/aqua-voltaic’, ‘solar grazing’ to optimise land usage and stimulate the local economy (Table 1), to the implementation of technologies providing services to communities such as mobile water desalination plants or ‘smart grid’ systems to minimise energy clipping during peak-load of oversized renewable energy facilities (Table 2). While developing those synergies, careful management is required to avoid creating superfluous energy service needs from community programs. Energy sufficiency should remain a key principle according to the sufficiency, efficiency and renewable framework of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Darby and Fawcett (2018) define energy sufficiency has ‘a state in which people’s basic needs for energy services are met equitably and ecological limits are respected’. Sufficiency tackles the causes of the environmental impacts of human activities by avoiding the demand for energy and materials over the life cycle of buildings and goods. Efficiency tackles the symptoms of the environmental impacts of human activities by improving energy and material intensities. The third pillar, renewables, tackles the consequences of the environmental impacts of human activities by reducing the carbon intensity of energy supply (Cabeza et al, 2022). Life of Mine Conference 2023 | Brisbane, Australia | 2–4 August 2023 34 This paper provides project developers, decision-makers and regulatory authorities with ideas on synergies between renewable energy options and community development programs. These can be considered to enhance stakeholders’ support for implementation of decarbonisation strategies.

Aug 2, 2023

By S Szylkarski, D N. Graham

In mining, water management is an operational necessity, requiring planning and detailed engineering, as well as risk assessment. Yet, the hydrology of streams and aquifers typically extends well beyond the boundaries of mine operations and intersect with environmental and social values. Mine managers often plan, design and assess the impact of water management activities (such as dewatering, excess water disposal and flood management) with a mine site or process specific focus. The challenge is that the impacts are spatial, long-term and complex – and may be cumulative across multiple mine sites. Further, there is usually little consideration of the feedbacks and interactions between surface water, groundwater and catchment hydrology. Failure to understand these processes can lead to poor decisions and increased costs. This presentation outlines an approach to simulating integrated hydrology in mining catchments that addresses the shortcomings of traditional modelling techniques.CITATION:Graham, D N and Szylkarski, S, 2016. Simulating integrated hydrology in mining catchments from planning to closure, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2016 Conference, pp 101–105 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 28, 2016

By R Peiffer, L van Wyk

The Port of Port Hedland is the largest bulk export terminal in the world and is one of Australia’s most important pieces of economic infrastructure. BHP is the largest Port user to support the export of iron ore products from mines located within the Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA). BHP’s priority is the safety and well-being of its workforce and the communities where it operates. In a recent regulatory application to increase export capacity, BHP committed to the deployment of wind fences to reduce wind erosion from stockpiled ore. Wind erosion from stockpiles was identified through inverse modelling as the most significant dust source compared to other sources such as stackers, reclaimers, shiploaders and transfer stations. The primary cause of dust emissions from stockpiles is dust lift-off during high wind conditions. BHP proposed the installation of wind fences across its Port Hedland operations, targeted at reducing emissions from wind dependent sources, primarily stockpiles, by reducing the wind speed downwind of the wind fence. Modelling predicts that installation of the wind fence will significantly reduce emissions from stockpiles, particularly at BHP’s western operations (Finucane Island). To be effective in shielding stockyards and reducing wind speeds, the wind fences are located upwind and as close as practical to the open stockyards. BHP’s wind fence design incorporates learnings from other existing installations and has been tailored for Port Hedland’s cyclonic conditions. The wind fence will be higher than the stockpile height, with a mesh porosity of approximately 50 per cent. The mesh porosity allows some of the wind to pass through the mesh. This reduces the wind turbulence downstream of the wind fence, as opposed to a solid wind fence, which increases downwind turbulence, resulting in increased dust.

Sep 18, 2023

By R B. Venugopal, P Staples

The selection of the mode of transport for moving bulk materials is never a simple task as there are various concerns/considerations applied to the selection of the most practical and cost-effective mode of transport to be used to move bulk materials. This paper examines various alternatives for moving ore from a mine at the top of a mountain to a process plant below (some 5000 m apart and a vertical drop of 650 m). The terrain of the mountain section of the route has added its own specific requirements, resulting in the final selection of a pipe conveyor for this application. The paper further addresses the final selection of hardware used in the implementation of the solution.

Jan 1, 2005

By H Kim, M J. Sun

Global steel companies are actively combating climate change by reducing carbon emissions. Traditional steel production, using the blast furnace (BF) – basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process, heavily depends on coal and emits substantial CO2. To mitigate this, companies are transitioning to the more eco-friendly DRP (direct reduction plant) – EAF (electric arc furnace) process, which lowers CO2 emissions. This study quantitatively evaluates the impact of increased hydrogen consumption on the carbon footprint of product (CFP) through an analysis of direct reduction process heat and mass balances. The study prioritises a comprehensive material balance based on mass conservation principles. The heat balance is calculated using differences in enthalpy through state energy properties, avoiding heat consumption. Validation using operational data from Hyundai Steel Dangjin works’ blast furnaces shows close alignment between calculated results and actual data, with less than 1 per cent error. This methodology facilitates a detailed analysis of the direct reduction process, offering insights into its feasibility and efficiency. Analysis of the operational impact by increasing the hydrogen ratio demonstrates reduced CO2 emissions and increased heat requirements due to the endothermic nature of hydrogen reduction, in contrast to the exothermic CO reduction. Possible solutions include raising reducing gas temperature or enhancing flow rate. The study effectively utilises designed heat and mass balances to assess material quantities and thermal balance under different operational conditions. It lays the foundation for the initial direct reduction process design, aiding in deriving and optimising operational parameters. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into the challenges of increased hydrogen, contributing to the production of greener steel by addressing these issues.

Aug 21, 2024

By J S. Moema, R Paton, J Zimba

Today, most organisations are familiar with the pressure to increase their effectiveness and efficiency, regardless of the nature of their business. Cost cutting and increased productivity are the main themes of many initiatives to ensure the profitability of operations and, ultimately, shareholder satisfaction. It is well known that the cost of comminution to liberate minerals such as gold from their respective ores is a major expense for mines. Comminution costs consist predominantly of grinding balls and electricity. However, there are no national or international standard specifications for grinding balls û on which a single mine may spend several million dollars per month. In addition, in the past mines generally did not specify the minimum requirements when purchasing grinding balls from suppliers. The result is that every supplier has its own grinding ball recipe (regarding chemistry and heat treatment), and is under no pressure to implement a quality assurance plan to ensure that a consistent product is delivered. The resulting variation in the quality of grinding balls leads to increased steel consumption rates and hence increased milling costs. A more stringent quality plan will generally not be welcomed by suppliers since this may entail further investments and/or reduce the production rate. In a sense, suppliers benefit from poor quality grinding balls as this leads to increased sales. Perhaps the main problem is a lack of understanding of the factors that influence grinding ball performance. This paper will describe the factors that influence the wear rate of grinding balls from both a microstructural perspective and a mill perspective. In addition, some insights are provided on the different grinding balls available and ways that users can verify their quality.

Jan 1, 2007

Every estimate of ore reserves necessarily contains an assumption in regard to the specific gravity of the ore. This assumed figure may be based on experimental data, on textbook data, or on a reconciliation of past tonnage estimates and production figures. Not infrequently it is simply a guess - shrewd or otherwise.Errors in the density factor are not likely to be serious in gold-quartz mines-or, at least, not so serious as in base metal mines. It is to the closer determination of ore density in the latter that this paper is devoted. Moreover, the remarks apply to ores which show no appreciable pore space.Not many ore bodies are sufficiently homogeneous to allow of a truly representative factor being obtained by the simple testing of a few specimens of ore, or by the weighing, after breaking, of a carefully measured block. The empirical figure derived from a comparison of past ore reserves and actual production can never truly describe conditions other than those now past; no real link with ore as yet unmined is provided. The dilution of heavy ore by waste is not exposed by this method, but is effectively cloaked. Anyerrors in past estimations of ore reserves are transmitted, by way of the density factor, as a source of error in all future estimates.ObjectIons may be raised to the practice of weighing measured blocks of ore in the case of any but a very homogeneous ore body. Even then, the exact composition of the block weighed, and an indication of whether its moisture content is representative of the whole, are difficult to determine.

Jan 1, 1940

By Walsh V

The Australian economy has been adversely affected by the hesitation in developing countries to commit to the construction of .new coal-fired power stations. World coal trade which was expected to grow at an appreciable rate has stagnated, world export coal prices have plummetted, and facilities in place in Australia for the production and export of coal are being underutilized. While in some countries this hesitation has been caused by a reduction in electricity load growth, another cause has been the unduly long lead-time imposed on developing countries by the conventional "Banker's Approach" to the planning and initiation of commitments to finance and construct coal-fired power plants. In some countries electricity growth has been met by increased usage of indigenous energy resources, even though this involves costs in excess of imported coal-fired power generation. The avoidance of foreign exchange commitments in these cases can however be desirable. In many other developing countries however, fuel oil continues to be used for power generation at a cost in foreign exchange of up to 50% above the total cost of coal fuel plus capital to construct a new coal-fired power station. The conventional "Bankers Approach" to new power station planning imposes the need for successive feasibility studies to satisfy the normal processes of international development lending agencies. No feasibility study can however, show how keen vendor countries may be to win major power plant contracts; and no feasibility study can determine whether the power station eventually procured will be one of the more reliable, at better than 80% availability, or one of the more unreliable at worse than 60% Availability.

Jan 1, 1987

The adoption of new technologies is accompanied by risks that the stakeholders will wish to understand and minimise. The process of developing a dynamic simulation and the plant it will be used in provides a discipline and attention to detail that highlights and provides an opportunity to mitigate risks that will exist in a production environment. The simulations will enable investigation of what the outcome of process failures will be and the impact maintenance. Enumerating this information will enable designs to be optimised and operating and control strategies to be tested.The success of new technology is dependent on the operators and their understanding of it and the machines that use it. In this context dynamic simulations can provide training and experience without risk to personnel, equipment or production. This experience will include situations that would not be induced in a production plant for training purposes. This paper outlines a generic template for a dynamic simulation that can be used to evaluate the introduction of an emerging technology into an operating environment. It includes process flows and surge capacity, breakdown and maintenance, operator interactions and availability, push and pull production scheduling and system control.

Sep 26, 2011

By H Kim, M J. Sun

In order to reduce carbon emissions from the steelmaking process and achieve carbon neutrality, global steel companies are establishing their own medium to long-term strategies and implementation plans using competitive technological advantages held by each steel company. At this point, Hyundai Steel has formulated a product-oriented carbon-neutral strategy based on innovative processing that makes use of Hyundai Steel’s own strength. Based on our experience in electric arc furnace product manufacturing and blast furnace operation in an integrated steel mill, Hyundai Steel is driving the Hy3 (Hy-cube) project, which involves a unique hybrid production system utilising hydrogen and hydrogen-based renewable energy sources. This initiative aims to achieve carbon-neutral production and eventually specialise in producing premium carbon-neutral automotive parts. The project has originality in that it involves not only designing processes using electric furnaces to produce premium steel products such as car body panels and electrical steel sheets, but also aims to reduce carbon emissions from the process, developing carbon-neutral products based on market demand. To assess the feasibility of the Hy3 project, Hyundai Steel conducted two pilot productions. The first pilot was producing a prototype of lower-arm part using electric arc furnace with three different kinds of raw materials: molten iron, HBI (hot briquetted iron), and scrap. Successful performance evaluation of auto parts with 1 GPa strength was achieved. The second pilot has been focused on tire cord steel, with the first-phase tests yielding a 33 per cent reduction in carbon footprint (CFP). Using the advantages of operating experience in electric arc furnace, Hyundai Steel is preparing for test operations producing various automotive parts using an electric arc furnace (EAF) to advance the Hy3 concept. From a medium to long-term technological development perspective, Hyundai Steel’s blueprint includes producing high-end carbon-neutral steel products using hydrogen-reduced iron as raw material.

Jun 19, 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

Currently all engineering schools face a common problem, an ever expanding technological base which must be presented to students within a fixed time period. Traditionally the programmes of study taken by engineering students destined for employment within the mineral industry include formal instruction in aspects of management to an extent greater than that presented in other engineering disciplines. Providing an adequate coverage of an expanding technological base within a fixed time span can lead to a reduction in the time available for 'non-technical' subjects, such as 'management'. This situation calls for periodic review of course contents and allocations of time. Following consultation with an Advisory Committee representing the mineral industry, mining research establishments, and kindred teaching institutions, the University of Melbourne has revised its mining programme. This programme is offered as an example of how aspects of management such as communications, economics, labor

Jan 1, 1980

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 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 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