Open-pit Mining Safety
Across the western United States and Canada, open mining is utilized to extract bulk materials, such as copper, from the earth. An open-mine assembly resembles a large pit, where the bottom is reached by a road descending from the pit's edges. This type of mining uses some of the largest trucks, tractors and cranes in the world, and so there are constant safety hazards. To prevent these hazards, mining companies take several preventative measures.
Oversight
Oversight from the on-site manager is key. His awareness of all aspects of a mine's operation, from loading and receiving to the outgoing shipment, is what enables safety measures to be properly carried out. This safety awareness comes from video surveillance of the mine from top to bottom, as well as audio communications with all workers.
Track Control
The trucks that ship the materials out of the mine are large, so the track they drive on is susceptible to structural failure. Another issue is with truck operators, who have limited visibility when on-board the truck. Lack of visibility can cause collisions with other trucks or with smaller vehicles used by other mine personnel. These problems can be prevented with proper track control, including designating roads for shipment trucks and other vehicles; maintaining working traffic signals throughout the mine; keeping speed limits posted; and advising all employees that shipment trucks have the right of way.
Slope Stability
The vehicle track is cut into the mine's hillsides. This cutting produces a slope that can wear down with use—slope failure is the leading cause of mine fatalities. To prevent failure, a slope is monitored at all times by the mine engineering staff. When a weak slope is detected, engineers install supports made of wood, metal or earth.
Equipment Maintenance
Brake failure in vehicles and lift failure in cranes are two common open-mine problems. When a failing piece of equipment is carrying a load of material, the problems are compounded. To prevent this, every mine has an on-site team of mechanics who inspect and keep performance records of each piece of equipment.
Other Hazards
In addition to slope failure, Mother Nature can cause ground structural failure. The ground being mined can have unpredictable segments where rock may be more or less concentrated; one result of this unpredictable landscape can be a landslide. To prevent landslides, the engineering team monitors the mines, from the slopes to the ground floor, for structural failures. Small amounts of sliding rock, or ground depressions, can signal an upcoming landslide. If an area of the mine appears structurally weak, engineers install warning devices into the hillsides that are equipped with motion sensors, which sound a warning signal if they start to move.
Oversight
Oversight from the on-site manager is key. His awareness of all aspects of a mine's operation, from loading and receiving to the outgoing shipment, is what enables safety measures to be properly carried out. This safety awareness comes from video surveillance of the mine from top to bottom, as well as audio communications with all workers.
Track Control
The trucks that ship the materials out of the mine are large, so the track they drive on is susceptible to structural failure. Another issue is with truck operators, who have limited visibility when on-board the truck. Lack of visibility can cause collisions with other trucks or with smaller vehicles used by other mine personnel. These problems can be prevented with proper track control, including designating roads for shipment trucks and other vehicles; maintaining working traffic signals throughout the mine; keeping speed limits posted; and advising all employees that shipment trucks have the right of way.
Slope Stability
The vehicle track is cut into the mine's hillsides. This cutting produces a slope that can wear down with use—slope failure is the leading cause of mine fatalities. To prevent failure, a slope is monitored at all times by the mine engineering staff. When a weak slope is detected, engineers install supports made of wood, metal or earth.
Equipment Maintenance
Brake failure in vehicles and lift failure in cranes are two common open-mine problems. When a failing piece of equipment is carrying a load of material, the problems are compounded. To prevent this, every mine has an on-site team of mechanics who inspect and keep performance records of each piece of equipment.
Other Hazards
In addition to slope failure, Mother Nature can cause ground structural failure. The ground being mined can have unpredictable segments where rock may be more or less concentrated; one result of this unpredictable landscape can be a landslide. To prevent landslides, the engineering team monitors the mines, from the slopes to the ground floor, for structural failures. Small amounts of sliding rock, or ground depressions, can signal an upcoming landslide. If an area of the mine appears structurally weak, engineers install warning devices into the hillsides that are equipped with motion sensors, which sound a warning signal if they start to move.
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