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When the writer first saw the square-set timbering, he was at once impressed with the fact that the frames made by the sets, along the lode amI across it, were composed of panels with rectangular openings, and it was puzzling to understand howsuch a collapsible construction could resist pressure that came unevenly on it. Later he learnt that the sets did not satisfactorily resist such pressure, but mullock filling had, to a great extent, to undertake this duty for them. So it appeared that the setswere practically an expensive scaffolding, enabling the miners to work in the face and carry the stope forward, till the filling was put in behind them to take the pressure of the roof and sides of the excavation. Of course some of the pressure is takenby the sets, but this is because the set timbers prevent the filling being done perfectly; if it were practicable to remove the sets before filling, the filling by itself would more effectively support the back and wall, than do the combined sets andmullock. On the whole, therefore, the sets can hardly be said to be of much benefit where pressure has to be resisted. Despite this, the system has been of immense service in mining wide lodes, but for all that, it can only be pronounced a makeshift.This is no reflection on Deidesheimer, the famous originator of the square set, for, as will be shown later on, this way of...

Jan 1, 1911

Single station group velocities of fundamental made Rayleigh waves over the period range 15-100 s are carguted for five provincial profiles of the West Pacific. Based on recordings of earthquakes around the West Pacific by the W~ (World Wide Standard Seismic Network) stations AFI (Afianalu), HNR (Honiara), WEL (Wellington), PAR (Raratonga) and RAB (Rabaul). The inversion of the derived dispersion curves for average shear velocity-depth structure of the crust, LID and LVL shows that (i) the over-all structure beneath the profile 'westernSamoa-Micronesia-Mariana' is in between that of regions 3 and 4 of Pacific Ocean (Yu and Mitchell, 1979), except that the velocity is slightly lower, (ii) the uppermost mantle beneath the 'Vitiaz Trench' profile between AFI and HNR is similar to that of region 2 of the Pacific - in other words, thin LID and thick LVL; (iii) the structure beneath the ' Ibnga-Keradec Ridge' profile has a thick crust with thick sediments, and LID-LVL velocity and thickness are similar to region 3 of the Pacific; (iv) beneath the profiles ' Tonga/ Kermadec Trench events-RAR station' the structure is intermediate between regions 3 and 4 of the Pacific Crean; (v) from decomposition of the 'Solomon-meriana' profile, the structure beneath the Cntong Java Plateau has a thick crust with thick sediments and the uppermost mantle is similar to that of region 3 of the Pacific clean.

Jan 1, 1990

By McAllister J

Oxygen was in restricted use at Port Kembla until tonnage oxygen became available for steelmaking in the open hearth furnaces. In adopting the new process various modifications to furnace design and operation were necessary and some of these, including increase in roof height and variation in firing and draft control, are discussed.The design of oxygen lances is also discussed and various steelmakingtechniques considered.Steel production increased with oxygen roof lancing-one- furnace producing 8,507 tons in one week-but new problems, such as rate of refractory wear, and disposal of fumes, were created.Design of future open hearth oxygen furnaces is predicted.INTRODUCTIONIn the post-war era, the availability of "tonnage" oxygen caused a major revolution in steelmaking techniques. Various pneumatic processes showed that steel can be madeat a very fast rate and that oxygen steelmaking can be applied to open hearth furnaces. Methods used are surface impingement with roof lances, bath injection with door lances, flame enrichment with fuel firing, mixed gas and oxygen firing, and enrichment of normal combustion air by oxygen injection into the flue systems.Owing to its previous restricted availability and high cost, oxygen was used in rather small quantities in the open hearth furnaces at Australian Iron and Steel Pty. Ltd.(A.I. & S.), Port Kembla, until about the middle of 1960.At that time tonnage oxygen became available and roof lancing commenced on No. 33 furnace at No. 2' open hearth shop.

Jan 1, 1962

By M Roper, M Lovitt

WMC Resources Olympic Dam Operation located in South Australia, is a poly metallic underground sublevel open stoping (SLOS) mining operation with a current annual production rate in excess of 9.0 Mt. Stope size, geometries, geotechnical considerations, drilling and blasting are critical components in stope performance. These factors are further influenced by stringent ventilation requirements due to the presence of airborne radioactive contaminants from uranium mineralisation. Stope planning is complex and mass blasting methodologies have been trialled at Olympic Dam with the view to reducing the frequency of stope blasts, improving stope stability, productivity and ultimately improving overall stope performance. A key aspect in the ability to undertake underground mass blasts of this scale is the application of i-konTM electronic initiation technology by Orica. In the past two years in excess of three million tonnes has been initiated utilising this electronic technology, with an average blast of 250 000 t ranging to the largest to date being 580 000 t. By providing flexibility in blast designs, the use of electronic detonators has allowed mass firings over multiple sublevels. This has resulted in a significant reduction in stope extraction steps compared to conventional pyrotechnic firings. The benefits of this reduction in the number of stope blasts are wide ranging from improved stability of interim stope voids between blasts, reduced blasthole damage, improved blast vibration management and reduction of complex changes to ventilation systems for blasting.

Jan 1, 2004

By J Zhang, O Ostrovski, C Zhang D Cai, Q Wang

The conventional CaO-SiO2-based mould fluxes are not suitable for high-Al steel casting because of the strong reaction between silica in the flux and aluminium in the steel strand. In the process of casting of high-Al steel, flux composition changes; with the decrease of the silica concentration and increase of alumina. Knowledge and understanding of the effect of the Al2O3/SiO2 ratio on flux structure and properties are useful for flux design for the high Al-steel continuous casting. This paper investigated the effect of the Al2O3/SiO2 ratio on structure, viscosity, phase composition of fluxes quenched at different temperatures and heat transfer of CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-B2O3-Na2O-Li2OMgO- F fluxes. It was found that flux melting temperature increased with the increase in Al2O3/SiO2 ratio. Viscosity of the flux melts increased significantly with the increase of the Al2O3/SiO2 ratio from 0.7 to 1.2, reaching the maximum value, and then decreased with further increase of the Al2O3/SiO2 ratio. Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed that the change of the Al2O3/SiO2 ratio led to the change of aluminate and silicate structural units. The turning point for viscosity was attributed to the change in the degree of flux polymerisation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that increasing Al2O3/SiO2 ratio increased crystallisation tendency of the fluxes. Heat transfer measurement by infrared emitter technique (IET) revealed that increasing Al2O3/SiO2 ratio led to the decrease in heat flux which is correlated well with the increased crystallinity of the flux. The results suggested that the flux with Al2O3/SiO2 ratio 4.3 is the best candidate among the studied CaO-Al2O3-based mould fluxes for casting of high-Al steel.

Aug 21, 2024

By Feilding C

Vitrinite of humic source (often designated as vitrinite A) is the maceral by which the rank of a coal ought to be determined. Therefore its recognition, and the precise identification of other vitrinites is essential. The majority of Australian petrologists are not differentiating between the vitrinite group macerals in maturation studies, the results of which have led to unexplained phenomena in coal characterisations and evaluation, such as 'reactive inertinites' and inaccurate predictions in petroleum source rock studies. The Callide coal has been chosen as a case study, with examples from other coals. The coal seams from the Callide Coal Measures show variation in the predominance of some macerals, indicating successions of environmental changes. The application of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to the study of the Callide coal has enabled a better understanding of the nature and origin of some of the less understood macerals such as micrinite and vitrinite B. Two forms of vitrinite have been observed, each with a distinct reflectance range. The wood-sourced vitrinite A displays an average reflectance of 0.56 per cent, and a range of 05. - 0.7, implying a higher rank than the 0.49 per cent Ro total vitrinite reflectance recorded in previous publications. Vitrinite B is one of the most commonly-occurring macerals in the Callide coal. The lower-reflecting vitrinite B which forms bands, often several hundred microns in thickness, in TEM appears to be electron transparent lipid rich. Vitrinite B is interpreted to represent accumulations of leaves, and is believed to be a major source of hydrocarbons in Australian sedimentary basins. The Callide coal has entered the oil window, and oil has been generated from some exinite, cutinite, and resinite, as evident from the amber to light brown fluorescence of exinite and the presence of exsudatinite in cell cavities and cleats. However vitrinite B, the major potential source of oil, is seen under the microscope to be generating oil, thus placing this coal at the top of the oil window. Micrinite, the origin of which has been much debated, occurs as cell filling or infill of spaces between laminations in vitrinite B.

Jan 1, 1991

By L M. Lobato, J C. S Seoane, F J. Baars

The Carajßs Province presents several volcano-sedimentary sequences that comprise the Itacai·nas Supergroup. The rocks represent bimodal volcanism, and clastic and chemical sedimentation in relatively unstable basins subject to recurrent structural events with subsidence and volcanism. The Grpo Parß Group represents one of these sequences with mafic volcanic rocks that enclose discontinuous jaspilite lenses, with development of large high-grade orebodies (Fe >65 per cent). This unit is named the Carajßs Formation and presents peculiar characteristics compared to other iron districts in the world, thereby departing from the classic Lake Superior or Algoma iron formation types. Owing to the dense vegetation, lack of outcrops and harsh landscape, the structural analysis of the district can only be accomplished by combination of regional field work, detailed structural work on the open pits, and remotely sensed image interpretation, in this case Landsat ETM7, JERS-1 images and the SRTM digital terrane model. The regional trend of the several sequences of the area is approximately N-S and the structure is dominated by a flattened flexural fold system with axes moderately dipping WNW, intersected by several strike-slip faults subparallel to their axial plane. The Serra dos Carajßs represents an s-shaped synform-antiform pair, herein named the Carajßs Fold. This regional structure is partially disrupted by the Carajßs Shear Zone that divides it in the northern (Serra Norte) and the southern (Serra Sul) Ranges and also probably prepared the terrane with the development of pathways for mineralising hydrothermal fluids forming large high-grade massive iron bodies. Syntectonic granitic bodies played an important role in the structural evolution of the area as well. They caused localised ductile flattening deformation and thermal contact metamorphism in surrounding terranes. The Estrela pluton, for instance, was responsible for the discontinuity of the regional trend between the Serras do Rabo and Leste. The Carajßs Province is regionally the upper crustal product of a very shallowly eroded dome-and-keel geometry of Neo-Archaean volcano- sedimentary units intruded by syntectonic calc-alkaline intrusives and overlying pre-existing infracrustal rocks. The lithostructural data suggest continental-margin back-arc basin development and closure in an oblique collision belt, with N-S shallow crustal shortening, parallel to the inferred pre-existing strike of the stratigraphy.

Jan 1, 2005

By Smith CB, Boxer GL

The Argyle diamond deposits in the East Kimberley were found as a result of a long term exploration programme, begun in 1972 by the Kalumburu Joint Venture (KJV), to search for diamonds on the Kimberley craton. When CRA Exploration Pty. Limited joined the KJV in 1976, it was re-named the Ashton Joint Venture (AJV). The Kimberley craton was considered prospective by analogy with structural settings of diamondiferous kimberlites in Africa. Diamonds were found during regional drainage sampling in Smoke Creek in late 1979, which led directly to the discovery of the rich Argyle lamproite diatreme (AK1) and associated alluvial deposits of Smoke and Limestone Creeks. The diatreme intruded into quartzites, sandstones and shales of Adelaidean age, and consists predominantly of lapilli ash tuff, with minor coarse and fine ash tuffs, 'non-sandy tuff' and olivine lamproite dykes. Erosion of the diatreme has produced the alluvial deposits of Smoke Creek and Limestone Creek to the north and east. Argyle diamonds are of predominately industrial quality, and the typical diamond is a brown, irregularly shaped, frosted, heavily resorbed form with abundant graphite inclusions, well developed etch channels and prominent hexagonal surface depressions. The pre-feasibility evaluation of AK1 comprised diamond drilling, surface and underground sampling, metallurgical sampling, marketing studies and ore reserve estimation. The proven AK1 ore reserve is 61Mtonne at 6.8ct/tonne. Evaluation of the alluvial deposits gave results of Upper Smoke Creek, 580 000 tonne at 4.6ct/tonne and Limestone Creek, 1.7Mtonne at 3.5ct/tonne. Commercial production from the two alluvial deposits began in 1983 with production for the year reaching 6.2 Mct. Mining of the alluvial deposits at three to five Mct/year is proposed to continue until the start of mining of the AK1 deposit in late 1985 or early 1986 at which time a new processing plant and associated infra- structure will have been constructed adjacent to the AKl deposit in the Limestone Creek area. Production is planned at three Mtonne/year, producing 25Mct/year, which will make Western Australia the largest producer of natural diamond (by weight) in the world.

Jan 1, 1984

At moderate depths this question is of relatively small importance, but at depths over 2,000 feet it becomes a matter of some consequence. The rate of increase of temperature with the depth varies in different localities, but as a rough average we may take it to be about 1° Fahr. for every 50 feet of depth. The variation of temperature of the earth's surface from summer to winter penetrates to a comparatively shallow depth. At 50 feet the variation becomes practically insensible, and the temperature of the strata will be about the mean temperature at the given locality, from 60° to 75° F. in this country or the comfort of men working in the mines it is desirable to maintain a temperature of about 70° F. in the workings, or approximately the temperature of the strata near the surface.In order to obtain some idea of the magnitude of the undertaking involved in cooling a mine, I have examined the effect of placing in a long drive an apparatus by means of which we can abstract heat at a uniform rate from the drive, keeping, thetemperature nearly the same at all points of the drive at any given time.The lowering of temperature 70 F. at any distance feet from the centre of the drive (treated as a cylinder of the same sectional area as the actual drive), after an interval of time days from the commencement of the operation is given by the formula...

Jan 1, 1907

By Davies B, Rogers A, Grainger A, Todd J, Brenman R, Jones L, Horton B, Eager L

Research into the control of diesel particulates (DP) has been. conducted by BHP Coal for more than 7 years. Personal monitoring of employee exposures (n = 480 full shift samples) conducted at nine underground coal mines has indicated that the exposure of the workforce ranges from less than 0.1 to 2.2 mg/m3 of DP dependent on job type and mining operation. Approximately 50% of the mass of DP captured is elemental carbon (EC) which is the species currently being considered by some international regulatory authorities as the exposure standard. Five technologies for controlling DP were investigated in a combination of studies conducted in an above ground simulated tunnel, in a special controlled section of underground mine roadway and validated by application in standard coal mining operations at Tower Colliery. Tests conducted under controlled conditions indicate that dependent on the type of fuel in use, the introduction of low sulphur fuels can reduce DP levels in return airways by up to 50% and in actual mining situations a reduction of 20% can be achieved in exposure of the workforce. In addition, subjective responses from the workforce indicate that exhaust emissions from low sulphur fuels provide lower irritation and a more pleasant aroma. The use of water filled scrubber tanks reduces the level of DP emissions by 25%. Chemical decoking of engines resulted in a reduction of 20% in DP in return airways. A commercially available non-flammable disposable dry exhaust filter constructed from synthetic organic fibres with an operational lifetime in excess of 20 hours was found to reduce DP exhaust emissions by 80%. Investigations have indicated that the use of increased ventilation to control DP levels particularly in multiple vehicle situations does not follow a simple dilution factor and in some instances compliance with current regulatory requirements may not produce the required reduced exposure levels. The results from single component control strategies provide considerable reduction in exposure to DP, however the most efficient and cost effective control methodology is the use of a combination of individual systems modelled to operations conducted at each mine.

Jan 1, 1998

By J J. Jiang, M Reimnitz

The Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) Fimiston Open Pit is mining through a dense network of disused level workings and open stopes of greatly varying sizes. The condition of the stope crowns and remnants is often unknown, and ultimately these structures become a significant proportion of the production floor and pit walls. Significant seismic events and occasionally rock bursts often occur in the underground workings. Seismicity is becoming an issue to the viability of the KCGM Fimiston operations. KCGM needs to take a leading role in understanding mine-induced and regional seismicity. The seismic system trials were initiated in the Fimiston Open Pit in 1996 using the ISS system. The initial system included two triaxial geophone arrays and two triaxial accelerometer arrays installed into two boreholes. The main objectives of the trial were to investigate the suitability of the two types of sensors and the detectability of seismicity in the pit. The trial was regarded as a success and the system has been expanded and improved. The current system consists of 12 triaxial geophone and accelerometer arrays and nine uniaxial geophones. The 12 triaxial arrays are installed in nine boreholes drilled from the pit and the nine uniaxial geophones are installed from underground level workings about 660 m below the original surface elevation. The system is designed to provide seismicity coverage for the entire pit area that is about 2.7 kilometres long, 1.5 kilometres wide and about 300 metres deep. The accuracy of the source location has always been a challenge due to the existence of the dense concentration of stopes and lack of the sensors. It is uncommon to have direct ray path for the seismic waves to propagate to the sensors across the strike, hence sensors have been located along strike and under the old workings. This paper discusses some of the challenges associated with seismic monitoring near mine remnants and seismically active faults. The results of the seismic monitoring are presented, and contrasted to results of three dimensional boundary element numerical modelling. The impact of the seismicity upon pit slope stability is briefly discussed.

Jan 1, 2003

By D Schwab, R M. Tosdal

The Quesnell-Stikine arcs, in the Canadian Cordillera, are host to Triassic and Early Jurassic alkalic porphyry Cu-Au and calc-alkalic porphyry Cu-(Mo-Au) deposits formed outboard of ancestralNorth America in island-arc tectonic settings (McMillan, 1991). The majority of the alkalic porphyry Cu-Au deposits are products of a discrete magmatic event at the end of the Triassic, with a second and smaller event in the Early Jurassic (Mortensen, Ghosh and Ferri, 1995). Of the Triassic complexes, the Galore Creek alkalic intrusive suite is one of the largest and most silica-undersaturated intrusive complexes, and host to the most significant undeveloped alkalic porphyry Cu-Au resource in North America (Lang, Stanley and Thompson, 1995). Because of the common presence of feldspathoidal-bearing rocks in the complex (Enns et al, 1995), Galore Creek likely represents an end member example of the alkalic porphyry Cu-Au class. The Galore Creek alkalic Cu-Au-Ag porphyry district, located in NW British Columbia (Canada), contains 12 mineralised prospects (Enns et al, 1995; Micko et al, 2007; Schwab et al, in press) with a total measured and indicated resources of 785.7 Mt at 0.52 per cent Cu, 0.29 g/t Au and 4.87 g/t Ag (NovaGold Resources Inc, February, 2008). The Central Zone is the largest and best delineated. Other economically important mineralised centres include the South-West, Bountiful, West Fork and Junction deposits. The South-West Zone, the focus of this contribution, is a Cu-Au-Ag breccia-centred deposit with a measured and indicated resource of 69 Mt grading 0.42 per cent Cu, 0.69 g/t Au, 2.67 g/t Ag. Hosted in brecciated intrusive rocks, the South-West Zone is distinctly younger than the Central Zone and most of the other mineralised centres (Enns et al, 1995; Schwab et al, in press). The South-West Zone therefore preserves the late stages of hydrothermal evolution at Galore Creek. An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Jan 1, 2008

By J Emslie

Newmont AustraliaÆs Callie Underground Gold Mine is located on the Dead Bullock Soak Mining Lease, approximately 600 km NW of Alice Springs, NT, in the Granites-Tanami Goldfield. Dead Bullock Soak is part of NewmontÆs Tanami Operations, which also include the Granites Gold Mine and processing plant, Groundrush Open Pit and Tanami Mill. Callie is a world class Proterozoic gold deposit; production to date is in excess of 1.7 million ounces, with an additional Proved and Probable reserves at the end of 2002 of 10.8 Mt at 6.3 g/t. Gold mineralisation at Callie occurs in thin (1 - 30 mm) steeply dipping quartz-chlorite sheeted vein system that cuts across a 40¦ plunging folded sequence of medium to fine-grained metasediments. While the vein system is highly continuous, the gold distribution is highly variable and is controlled by the interaction of lithology, alteration, structure and vein density. The mineralisation is commonly coarse-grained and has a relatively high nugget effect, consequently the orebody is problematic to estimate and shows a high degree of sensitivity to drill hole density. Resource modelling at Callie is an example of a geologically driven model that has evolved with increasing data and understanding. Lithological and structural models are employed to define domains within which the grade estimation is undertaken using multiple indicator kriging. This gradual model evolution impacted greatly on the selection of the mining method. Uncertainty in the estimation of the orebody was a significant factor that led to sublevel open stoping with cemented aggregate fill being adopted as the mining method to improve extraction selectivity. Callie often shows strong positive reconciliation compared to the mill. The mine geologistÆs face the challenge of limiting the degree of underestimation of the core of stopes whilst ensuring that stope boundaries are not conservative. This can only be achieved through the mapping of subtle geological features in order to confirm the orebody model. The increased use of the geological mapping has improved our understanding of the controls on mineralisation and has been extended into the development of new models for near mine underground exploration.

Jan 1, 2003

By Dawes S

Efficient roof control in colliery operation is a factor that must be maintained for· the maximum reQovery and economic extraction of the mineral. It must be carefully considered in each of the following stages in the life of a mine.1. The primary development and the first working of the mine.2. The maintenance of access roads, intake and return airways.3. The extraction of pillars.FACTORS IN ROOF CONTROLThe main objects of roof control are: The support of the roof in working places, the relief of roof pressure from the workings during pillar extraction, and in some instances the prevention of subsidence of the surface.The support of the roof during development operations and first working, and the subsequent maintenance of these is influenced by:-1. The depth of the seam below the surface.2. The thickness of the seam.3. The dip of the seam.4. The condition of the roof and floor.5. The method of extraction-mechanical or by hand.6. The method of. working-Iongwall or bord and pillar.7. The availability of material.As a general rule, the pressure exerted by the superincumbent strata may be taken as one pound per square inch for each foot of cover, and the crushing strength of coal as 1,500 to 2,000 lb. per square inch; this, of course, varies, but from these figures it may be assumed that seams below 2,000ft. in depth are liable to crush. If any part of the seam is removed, added weight is thrown onto the remaining coal. It is therefpre essential that for effective working this extra weight must be removed or supported as soon as possible.The outstanding principle in the support of mining excavations is to ensure that the supports are set as soon as possible after the natural support has been removed.Where a system of bord and pillar is applied, the early setting of supports reduces the extent to which the roof bends, thereby reducing the liability to ·tension fractures at the centre of the road.

Jan 1, 1947

The approvals process for a major cut-back is not a simple exercise when a mine is located alongside the community. Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) has been through an extensive process of government, JV owner and community consultation to ensure that necessary permitting processes and detailed studies have been completed to allow this six year extension to the open pit mine life to be achieved. With the Kalgoorlie Boulder community being on the doorstep of the mine, it is critical to ensure that the operation runs smoothly and complies to the license conditions to achieve the full value of the Golden Pike cut-back, and leave behind a sustainable legacy for the local community. This is an ABSTRACT ONLY no paper was prepared for this presentation.

Jun 1, 2010

By A Dix

Fire suppression systems are but one of the many technologies currently available to manage operational tunnel risks. However, the actual reasons for their use are often shrouded in mischievous discussions of the marketing variety.The international tunnelling community still stands divided on the merits (or otherwise) of fire suppression systems. For some the debate focuses on their cost compared to the theoretical benefits they bring to human safety.Long standing concerns about their potential adverse effects in an emergency are often at odds with the experience from tunnels which use them. High installation and operational costs are cited as reasons not to use them, yet toll road operators and insurers increasingly use them as a risk mitigation strategy for toll revenue protection.Fact or fiction, myth or reality, should such systems be seriously entertained or are they just another expensive gadget in the escalating array of expensive toys for modern tunnels? Ultimately this presentation argues that they have their place as a risk mitigation measure to achieve a range of objectives. The exact circumstances for their use ultimately fashioning their design and operational characteristics. This is an abstract only. No paper was prepared for this abstract.

Mar 8, 2011

By S Gray

Based on the 2021 Volume 5 State of PlayTM mining survey of key executives and board members in the mining sector, the key responses to ‘Which of the following technologies will have the biggest impact on mining in the next 15 years?’, were ‘Sensing and Data’ followed by ‘AI and Analytics’. From the early 1970s it would have been unlikely to predict the level of sensing and automation introduced to the broad industrial sector. No better example is the automobile industry where the combination of technological advances and external drivers (such as emissions control) have driven an incredible rate of change. The introduction of sensing, data, AI, and automation in the mining industry is just ramping up. Until now our energy efficiency, environmental footprint, labour shortage, skills, and safety have not been challenged by stakeholders in the way we are seeing market forces develop today. In order to address these challenges, we need to look back to the automobile industry and learn their lessons to accelerate our application of digital capability, analysis, AI and automation This is critical, particularly as access to skilled human resources becomes more difficult. An example of how this can be achieved in a gold processing plant utilising the latest real-time sensing technologies is the ‘Carbon Scout’ developed by Curtin University, and OLGA developed by CSIRO, which are both online technologies, coupled together with Gekko’s ‘Neon’ digital platform to achieve a fully automated real-time gold processing system.

Aug 24, 2022

With the next mining boom looming, the industry will once again struggle to meet skills needed as the current generation boomers are set to retire. In order to meet these needs it is going to need to focus on what underutilised human resources - in particular women - want!   Women comprise around 14 per cent of the mining workforce, compared with a 45 per cent participation rate in the work force overall. Within the industry, women still make up only one per cent of trades people, eight per cent of operators/production employees, 12 per cent of engineers and 11 per cent of executive management.   It may be worth pointing out that mining has an age profile skewed towards the older end of the spectrum. When it comes to employee retention, what women want may be a good starting point to examine, more broadly, what all employees might want (but are too afraid to ask!).   Women in mining want the following: To be scrutinised for their work and performance, not their personal lives, appearance or relationships. True pay equity. This is addressed at lower levels between companies but at professional levels the salary differentials begin to appear and little is done to identify why this continues to be the case. Recognition and acceptance that women can have different work-styles, and that diversity of work-styles is an asset to be nurtured not a threat to be neutralised! Recognition that a more diverse workforce demographic that better reflects society at large will assist the company in its dealings with many diverse stakeholders from society at large. For employers to recognise that a career break to accommodate caring responsibilities does not mean that an employee's commitment to progressing their career is any less than that of someone who has not taken a career break. Similarly, for employers to recognise that working part-time for to accommodate caring responsibilities does not mean that an employee's commitment to progressing their career is any less than someone who works a more traditional roster. Access to affordable and quality child care compatible with mining rosters in mining towns. Zero tolerance for bullying and harassment, and workplace cultures that promote respect and safety. This is an ABSTRACT ONLY no paper was prepared for this presentation.

Jun 1, 2010

By C Young

The identification of Critical Risks, their associated Critical Controls, and the implementation of processes to ensure their ongoing management can be difficult and resource intensive. Answering the following Critical Risk Management related questions can be challenging: • What is a Critical Risk? • What is a Bow-tie Analysis and when should it be used? • What is Critical Control? • How is the effectiveness of a Critical Control assured, and how is this measured? • Who is responsible for managing Critical Controls? • What are the implications if a Critical Control is not effective? It appears that in the mining industry’s efforts to implement the Critical Control Management Process outlined by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), instead of embedding an integrated, well understood, value adding process, we have instead created a resource hungry monster that is poorly understood by numerous layers of the organisation.

May 5, 2022

By C Sylvestre

Leaders have invested heavily in traditional safety management to improve safety performance over the years. This primarily involved: • fixing the environment (eliminating the hazard) • improving the system (more/less rules, procedures etc) • making safety more conscious (more/better interactions about the importance of safety). These approaches have helped improve safety performance significantly during the last 50 years and will continue to play a role in the future. Although these approaches may be part of an overall solution, they are not enough to prevent many incidents. Today, these three approaches are used more than before, and are used better than ever before. Yet, workplace fatalities in Australia have stagnated from 2013 to 2019, as have the number of incidents, even serious ones. In the USA, workplace fatalities have increased by 15 per cent in the same period.

May 5, 2022