MINN4016A
Rock Engineering
Introduction
(Module 1b)
“Unknown Miner” by Herman Prof Bryan Watson
Wald
Symbolic recognition of the contribution
by all who worked/work in the South
African mining industry and Wits
University’s educational role 13th February 2024
Tel 011 717 7410 1 of 24
Rock engineering in the context of health
and safety
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Mine health and safety act
Code of practice
1. Principles (what it intends to achieve)
2. General information (location, depth and geotechnical)
3. Rock related risk management (hazards)
For example:
Code of practice to combat rock fall and rock burst accidents in tabular
metalliferous mines
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1 - COP principles
• Identification and documentation of rock related hazards
• Development of appropriate strategies to eliminate or reduce the
risk caused by these hazards
• Allocation of responsibilities / duties for the execution of these
strategies
• Training of persons to enable them to carry out their duties.
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2 - COP general information
• Locality (where the mine is located)
• Mining environment (depth, rock type)
• Ground control districts (areas of similar geotechnical
condition)
• Rockfall and rockburst incident analysis (records and analysis
of events)
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3 - COP rock related risk management
• Identify the hazard
• Assess health and safety risk
• Record significant hazards identified
• Detail how to deal with significant risk
• COP to be reviewed and updated after each serious incident,
change in procedure
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Critical aspects to be included in COP
Hazard identification
• Geological, seismic, geotechnical and hydrological parameters
identified, listed and described.
• Specific ground control districts identified
• Process involves all relevant employees.
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Strategies to reduce and manage rock-
related risks
• Strategies to combat rockbursts and rock falls include
• Mining layout
• Mining sequence
• Support
• Monitoring
• Include early and mid-shift examinations, brows and
geological discontinuities.
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Responsibilities and functions of all
individuals and departments
• Specify responsibilities of individuals and departments
• Training programmes
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Support design methodology
• Design methodologies motivated and documented.
• Methodologies appraise by competent rock engineering
consultant.
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Competency criteria
• Competency criteria lists for each level of organisation
covered by COP
• List competent persons concerned
Overall mine stability strategy
• Hazards that could result in catastrophic events that can be
addressed by mining method, layout or sequencing,
examples:
• Shallow hard rock mines
– Falls of ground;
– Surface subsidence
• Deep level hard rock mines
– Stress fracturing
– Seismic risk
• back fill,
• regional pillars
Overall mine stability strategy
Deep level hard rock mines - Criteria for regional support and extraction sequence
• Seismic energy emission control
– Use of seismic data
– Reduce risk, pillars , backfill, mining sequence, faults, dykes
• Rock burst damage control
– RYHP, backfill, mining sequence
Stoping strategies
Detail methodology to select the most appropriate support design
requirements
• Energy absorption, yield ability and areal coverage.
Any experiments that differ from COP must be risk assessed and fully
documented.
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Special areas
• Identify and deal with an increase in rockbursts and rock falls
• Designate special areas
• Responsibility of rock engineering in identifying special areas.
• Design mining layout, sequence, support.
• Monitoring of special areas.
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Stability of tunnel and service
excavations (Start here)
– Combat hazards due to:
• Blast damage
• Poor rock conditions
• Change in stress
• Proximity to other workings
• Geological structures
– Tunnel safe for travelling
• Include opening up and re-supporting
Blast design and practices
• Blast design to minimise blast-induced damage.
• Drilling
• Explosives
• Initiation systems (detonators)
• Take into account different geological districts
Protection of mine access
• Protect shaft and / or main access
• Rock engineering appraisal of current conditions
• Monitor ground movement where instability exists
• Minimise risk and detail shaft extraction policy
Influence of neighbouring mines
• Neighbouring mines to exchange data related to
• Mining method
• Regional support
• Mining sequence
• Common geological features
• Percentage extraction
• Seismicity
Influence of neighbouring mines
(Plan view)
Mine 2
Pillar
Mine 1
Monitoring
• Stability of the workings
• Extensometers
• Closure metres
• Seismic monitoring and analysis
• Description of seismic network
• Location accuracy
• Analysis Software
• Persons responsible for maintenance
Control
• Controls and procedures to be followed with individual
responsibilities for each hazard identified.
Comments
• Considering the critical aspects of the COP it can be seen
that comprehensive rock engineering input is required.
• The COP places significant responsibility on the rock
engineers.
• Tremendous shortage of rock engineers
Questions?