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And a new generation of safety culture experts are telling mining companies how to use it: It is a situation that is still too common in the mining industry: the latest personal protective gear is in place. The safety rules are known and followed. And then, in a moment of inattention or carelessness, a mistake is made and someone gets hurt or killed. Common wisdom claims that such accidents are impossible to eliminate entirely. Mining is dangerous, and some miners will always be hurt and killed. An increasing number of mine safety experts, however, reject the common wisdom. A year with zero mining deaths is possible, they say; with the use of one of the newest weapons to the mining industry in the safety war: the concept of safety culture. Safety culture refers to the set of attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values that influence safety in the work environment. It is also sometimes called the way an organization behaves when no one is watching. Robert Peters, of the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), describes safety culture this way: ?It?s what?s believed on a day-to-day basis. For example, if a miner sees a workplace hazard and he truly believes that his boss wants him to identify the hazard and bring it to the company?s attention, that would be an example of a positive safety culture.?

Jun 1, 2010

By Albert W. Cox

This paper, one of a series prepared for the United States Bureau of Mines discussing the methods used in mining, crushing, and grinding materials for cement manufacture, deals particularly with the methods used at the Security plant of the North American Cement Corporation. These papers are designed to disseminate technical information regarding the methods used. The cost tabulations represent local operating expenditures only and not total production costs. It is recognized that publication of, total production costs might in many instances cause embarrassment to individual producers as well as to the industry as a whole. On the other hand, operating costs are essential to the technical discussion and study of methods employed. The attention of the reader is specifically called to this differentiation in order that no misunderstanding of the scone of the cost tabulations shall ensue.

Jan 1, 1932

By H Chalcraft, T D. Mullen

Conditions encountered at a recently completed brownfields mining project provided valuable insight into, and development of, techniques for working in and around known underground mining voids in an open cut environment. The careful application of underground blasting principles to a pit environment and successful excavation whilst maintaining appropriate stand-off distances were two primary areas of innovation enabling the success of the project.Mary Mac Hill is a gold deposit situated less than 2 km south-west of the town of Laverton, Western Australia. It is owned and mined by Crescent Gold Limited. Previous underground mining by various other mining companies has left an extensive network of underground horizontal development, subvertical stopes and shafts, some of which daylighted at surface. This was identified as potentially posing substantial risks, which would prevent the application of conventional mining methods. Two major stopes were located under a hard banded iron ridge topped by a peak of cap, connected variously by narrow drives and vertical development. Due to the proximity of the first of these stopes to the surface, its dimensions and governed by procedures and advice provided by externally engaged engineers, Crescent Gold could not access the area of the ridge immediately overlying the stope using conventional open cut mining methods. This was the first of many hurdles surmounted in mining this deposit.The following report outlines how the challenges this geometrically complex deposit presented. Solving these problems enabled the team to mine the contained gold ore to a completed design, without subjecting personnel or mining equipment to harm due to a void breach incident. This paper outlines the numerous complications and difficulties Mary Mac Hill posed and explains the strategies developed to overcome them. The report also presents technical mass blasting details explaining two of the critical crown pillar blasts.CITATION:Mullen, T D and Chalcraft, H, 2012. Mary Mac Hill - The challenges and strategies of successful open cut mining: A complex underground gold deposit riddled with a network of complicated voids, in Proceedings Eighth Open Pit OperatorsÆ Conference , pp 89-96 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 18, 2012

By Gordon Cook

American Electric Power Company (AEP operates 31 coal mines in three states, and some 26 electric generating stations (19 coal-fired) located in the Ohio River Basin. Normally the system burns over 36,071,600 tonnes (40,000,000 tons) of coal and generates in excess of 3.6 X 1018 J (100 billion kwh) of electricity per year. In 1975, AEP, in response to the progressively more stringent air quality requirements of the clean air act, acquired large low-sulfur reserves in Carbon County, Utah (Figure 1. Location Map). Price River Coal Company (PRCC) is the operator OF this multi-seam complex, which is part of the Book Cliffs coalfield at an elevation exceeding 1,829 m (6,000 ft.). The topography is mountainous and divided by numerous canyons. Flat areas are at a premium (Figure 2. Castle Gate Area). Modern high production longwall mining takes in some top and bottom waste, and in this particular operation, it amounts to about 14% of the ROM tonnage.

Jan 1, 1983

By C. L. Kosmoski

In recent years, coal mining safety has attained national attention due to several highly publicized disasters. Despite these threats to worker safety and health, the U.S. relies on the mining of coal to meet its need for electrical power, with 42% of electricity in the U.S. generated through the burning of coal (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2012b; United Mine Workers of America, n.d.). Furthermore, the production of coal continues to increase and reach record levels every year (National Mining Association, 2012; U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2012a). For this reason, the coal mining industry must continue to find ways to protect its workers while maintaining productivity. One potential approach to protecting workers while maintaining productivity is through improving the safety culture at coal mines. In order to achieve this culture, operators, employees, the inspectorate, etc. must share a fundamental commitment to safety as a value. This type of culture is known in other industries as a ?safety culture,? and can be defined as the characteristics of the work environment (such as the norms, rules, and common understandings) that influence facility personnel?s perceptions of the importance that the organization places on safety. Fundamental to improving safety culture within an organization is understanding the existing safety culture; improvements cannot be made without first elucidating areas that require improvement. This manuscript details the process undertaken by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) to assess the safety culture at five underground coal mines across the United States. The purpose of this manuscript is to present the aggregated results from those five safety culture assessments conducted at underground coal mines. Additionally, some general recommendations for areas where coal mines might focus their attention as part of their attempts to improve safety culture are offered.

Feb 23, 2014

By T. O. Glover

The Bureau of Mines surveyed unit trainloading and storage installations in the midwestern, eastern, and southeastern coalfields. Nine individual operations were studied in detail as a representative cross section of unit train operations in these areas. Of the nine operations studied, three were in Illinois, two in Kentucky, and one each in West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Information was obtained from coal producers, coal sale agencies, railroads, construction and equipment companies, and power companies.

Jan 1, 1970

By John J. McClelland

The U.S. Bureau of Mines formed a team in 1991 to begin developing a long-range research plan for computer-assisted mining that would benefit the metal-nonmetal mining industry. This report details the team's accomplishments, specifically, the development of a model that identifies metal-nonmetal mining research needs that could be addressed by the application of automation technology. The report also provides a summary of automation needs and applications based on visits with mining company representatives. The status and future direction of this work is also presented.

Jan 1, 1994

By CIM Mineral Resource, Mineral Reserve Committee

The CIM Mineral Exploration Best Practice Guidelines (the Exploration Guidelines) have been prepared to assist professional geoscientists and engineers to conduct consistently high-quality work in order to maintain public confidence. The Exploration Guidelines are meant to assist professional geoscientists and exploration practitioners in planning, supervising, and executing exploration programs. In Canada, there are generally two types of public resource reporting: “Disclosure”, as defined by NI 43-101, is the reporting of technical information to the public and market participants for securities legislation purposes where a Qualified Person (QP) must be involved, and reporting of exploration information for governmental agencies to support obligations under laws including the Mining Acts of each of the Provinces and Territories. The Exploration Guidelines are also relevant where the results will not be publicly reported but are intended for internal company use. While this document is intended as guidance for work conducted or supervised by geoscientists in Canada, many of the practices described herein can be adapted to mineral exploration activities in other countries. The Exploration Guidelines are not intended to inhibit original thinking, or to prevent the application of new approaches that may develop into fundamental components of successful mineral exploration programs. Rather than provide prescriptive solutions to specific issues, they include general guidelines for current professional practice and to demonstrate and defend the merits of new methods. These guidelines do not preclude individuals and companies from developing more detailed guidelines specific to their own requirements. The initial version of the Exploration Guidelines was prepared by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Exploration Best Practices Committee and adopted by CIM Council on August 20, 2000. On January 9, 2018, CIM Council formed a new committee, the Mineral Resources and Reserves Committee (CIM MRMR Committee) with a mandate to, among other things, update the Exploration Best Practice Guidelines. The mandate for the committee was accepted by CIM Council on March 2, 2018. The new document was adopted by the CIM Council on November 23, 2018.

Nov 23, 2018

By Henry Kreisinger, WALTER T. RAY

In its investigation of more efficient methods for utilizing the coals and lignites in the United States, to the end that waste might be avoided, the value of low-grade coals increased, and the life of the nation's fuel resources prolonged, the technologic branch of the United States Geological Survey carried on a study of the factors involved in the manufacture and use of briquets, including the suitability of various coals for briquetting, the cheapest and most satisfactory binders, and the furnace behavior and evaporative efficiency of briquetted fuel. The investigations had their beginning in the work done at the coaltesting plant at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo., in 1904, and were continued at St. Louis and later at Norfolk, Va. Accounts of various tests and statements of the conclusions to be drawn from them have appeared in a number of bulletins. a In connection with the work at Norfolk, comparative steaming tests were made in stationary, marine, and locomotive boilers with run-ofmine coal and the same coal formed into briquets of two sizes. The tests in a locomotive boiler that are described in detail in this bulletin were undertaken to add cumulative evidence to work done at other places. They were made possible through the courtesy of the Seaboard Air Line Railway Company in supplying both the locomotive and the coal used. During the trials the locomotive stood on a side track in the shop yards of the railway company at Portsmonth, Va. No running tests were made.

Jan 1, 1911

By J. R. Thoenen

Up to 1914 almost all of the world's supply of potash came from Germany and Alsace. With the cessation of shipments from Germany during the World War the importance of a domestic suppler was evident. During the past 15 years the United States has been working toward the establishment of a domestic potash industry which would end foreign dominance in this commodity. The Federal government has taken an active part in this program. As its share in the work, the Bureau of Lines has ascertained the potash resources in certain district's through core drilling and has engaged in a comprehensive program of research on the extraction of potash from its various minerals. Until the passage of the Winter bill (H. R. 496) by Congress in 1928 the Bureau of Mines had not been able to give any consideration to the western ores, wyomingite (leucite) and alunite. With the massage of this bill, however, the ray was opened for the extension of the potash studies to cover these materials.

Jan 1, 1932

By J. R. Thoenen

Up to 1914 almost all of the world's supply of potash came from Germany and Alsace. With the cessation of shipments from Germany during the World War the importance of a domestic supply was evident, During the past 15 years the United States has been working toward the establishment of a domestic potash industry which would end foreign dominance in this commodity. The Federal government has taken an active part in this program. As its share in the work, the Bureau of Mines has ascertained the potash resources in certain districts through core drilling and has engaged in a comprehensive program of research on the extraction of potash from its various minerals. Until the passage of the Winter bill (H. R. 496) by Congress in 1928 the Bureau of Mines had not been able to give any consideration to the western ores, wyomingite (leucite) and alunite. With the Passage of this bill, however, the ray was opened for the extension of the potash studies to cover these materials.

Jan 1, 1932

By H. Rush Spedden, Arvid Thunaes

R. R. Knobler and F. E. Albertson—Following the testwork done by Thunaes and Spedden, a Sullivan deck plant was built for the Colquiri mill. This plant started to operate in April 1945 and continues in successful operation. Since May 1950 the Colquiri mill has operated with a completely revamped flowsheet at a rate of 1000 tons per day. The old Sullivan deck section was retained with this new flowsheet. The "slime plant" in Colquiri consists of one 12-cell Denver No. 18-Sp. Sub-A flotation machine, one 16-ft and one 12-ft hydroseparator, six five-deck Sullivan-frames and six shaking tables for cleaning up the Sullivan deck concentrates, as well as 12 Deister plus three Plat-O tables on which the fine sands, which are not treated on the S-decks, are concentrated. Only —325-mesh fines are treated on the Sullivan decks. The combined hydroseparator overflows are fed to the S-decks. From 1946 to 1949, i.e. with the "old" flowsheet and an average mill feed of 800 tons per day an average of 45 tons per day was treated on four Sullivan rougher frames. The two additional frames were used as cleaners. At times, up to 90 and 120 tons of slimes were treated successfully on this Sullivan deck installation. The average operating data for the S-deck section in Colquiri for the year 1949 were as follows: The tests reported in this paper indicated a tin recovery of 42 pct. The actual plant results for 1949 show a 54 pct tin recovery from the Sullivan decks. The total average quantity of tin produced from the S-deck section in 1949 was 15 tons of tin per month. This corresponds to 3 pct of the total mill recovery. The difference between the 6 pct overall recovery-increase expected after the tests in 1943 and the actual plant results given for 1949 is explained as follows. According to the tests, a total of 170 tons was expected to be routed to the Sullivan decks, but because of certain changes in the flowsheet and mill amplifications,

Jan 1, 1951

By H. Rush Spedden, Arvid Thunaes

R. R. Knobler and F. E. Albertson—Following the testwork done by Thunaes and Spedden, a Sullivan deck plant was built for the Colquiri mill. This plant started to operate in April 1945 and continues in successful operation. Since May 1950 the Colquiri mill has operated with a completely revamped flowsheet at a rate of 1000 tons per day. The old Sullivan deck section was retained with this new flowsheet. The "slime plant" in Colquiri consists of one 12-cell Denver No. 18-Sp. Sub-A flotation machine, one 16-ft and one 12-ft hydroseparator, six five-deck Sullivan-frames and six shaking tables for cleaning up the Sullivan deck concentrates, as well as 12 Deister plus three Plat-O tables on which the fine sands, which are not treated on the S-decks, are concentrated. Only —325-mesh fines are treated on the Sullivan decks. The combined hydroseparator overflows are fed to the S-decks. From 1946 to 1949, i.e. with the "old" flowsheet and an average mill feed of 800 tons per day an average of 45 tons per day was treated on four Sullivan rougher frames. The two additional frames were used as cleaners. At times, up to 90 and 120 tons of slimes were treated successfully on this Sullivan deck installation. The average operating data for the S-deck section in Colquiri for the year 1949 were as follows: The tests reported in this paper indicated a tin recovery of 42 pct. The actual plant results for 1949 show a 54 pct tin recovery from the Sullivan decks. The total average quantity of tin produced from the S-deck section in 1949 was 15 tons of tin per month. This corresponds to 3 pct of the total mill recovery. The difference between the 6 pct overall recovery-increase expected after the tests in 1943 and the actual plant results given for 1949 is explained as follows. According to the tests, a total of 170 tons was expected to be routed to the Sullivan decks, but because of certain changes in the flowsheet and mill amplifications,

Jan 1, 1951

By E. Garab, M. Pillalamarry, E. Develo

"Recent geological exploration at Rosh Pinah mine revealed that the mine’s major production is shifting towards the western orefield, which will increase the demand for air flow to be supplied to this area. A snapshot of the ventilation survey carried out in December 2014 at the western orefield drill drive B (WOF-DDRB) showed that the air flow was well below the required standards. In order to improve the existing conditions, possible options were considered and simulated using Ventsim™ software.The best option found was to replace the existing western orefield fans with the larger fans from the inactive southern orefield workings, to increase the air flow in the DDRB district. Simulation showed that as much as 20 m3/s of air can be received at the working faces of WOF 30, compared to the previously received amount of 1.37 m3/s. The economic analysis indicated that the above option can reduce the ventilation cost by N$1.9 million annually. It was also noticed that after implementing this option together with other projects, the ventilation conditions in the mine were greatly improved and currently give no cause for concern. IntroductionA good mine ventilation system should be capable of providing adequate quantity and quality of air to all working faces, and is critical to the occupational health, safety, and comfort of underground employees (Luxbacher and Ramani, 1977; Exikis and Kapageridis, 2006). No ventilation system can remain adequate indefinitely; as the mine workings are extended, the ventilation characteristics such as system pressures, air volumes, leakages, and airway resistances change considerably. Continuous improvement of the ventilation system is needed to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations (Lovejoy, 2010). It also ensures that the right quality and quantity of air is delivered to all the necessary areas at the lowest possible cost. This can be achieved by identifying inefficient airways and poorly ventilated areas in the mine and planning how best to upgrade them.The latest geological exploration shows that the focus of production at Rosh Pinah mine is shifting towards the western orefield (WOF). As mining progressed, the working areas have advanced away from the main fans, which increased the resistance to air flow drastically and resulted in increasing demands being imposed on the main fan in order to supply an adequate air flow. This process also created more leakage paths between the fan and the working areas, which has caused the air to short-circuit before it can reach the faces. Consequently, a much larger quantity of air has to be circulated by the fan so that the stipulated quantity reaches the face, which increases operating costs (Singh et al., 2004)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Anthony Edey

This report describes work performed and results obtained for the technical and economic feasibility study of oil production by mining methods. The characteristics of oil fields which would make them amenable to mining techniques were identified. An inventory of known U.S. oil fields that offer this potential was collated. This was further divided into fields having potential for underground and surface mining systems development. Several candidate fields that fit particular underground and surface mining system types were then selected. Conceptual mining systems were designed for the selected fields. Five underground and four surface methods were chosen. Costs of oil production were estimated for these selections. The impact of oil mining an the environment was also considered.

Jan 1, 1978

By A. Brown

This report details work performed and results obtained in a study of the water management aspects of oil shale mining and retorting in the Piceance Creek Basin. Three specific sites were investigated, and optimal water management systems for both conventional and in-situ extraction processes were generated. Water-related legal and environmental constraints on development were identified and the water management schemes were developed in compliance with these regulations. Limitations on shale oil production implied by limited water supplies were evaluated. Potential Basin-wide effects of development were evaluated using a computer model, and mitigation strategies were developed. Recommendations for additional investigation and analyses were presented.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. A. Meyr, K. A. Perry

Following three major mining accidents in 2006, the MINER Act of 2006 was enacted by the U.S.Congress. The U.S. Mining Safety and Health Administration subsequently released the Final Rule on Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines, which required every underground coal mine to install refuge alternatives to help prevent future fatalities of trapped miners in the event of a disaster. The following paper documents the research that was performed on a structural wall to be used in conjunction with a breathable air system to create a refuge alternative. A 103.4-kPa (15-psi) safe haven polycarbonate wall for use in underground coal mines was designed and modeled using finite element modeling in ANSYS Explicit Dynamics. The successful safe haven wall design was modeled for an actual underground coal mine environment using the explicit finite difference formulation program FLAC3D to determine the responses of the wall and surrounding strata within a mine. A full-scale design was fabricated and installed in an underground coal mine to determine any construction constraints and as a final step in proof of concept for the safe haven wall design. This paper is meant to introduce the reader to a new wall concept to be used in conjunction with current technology.

Jan 1, 2013

By P. O. Sandstrom

"Atlas Copco is introducing a new patented method for full-face boring. This paper presents the basic principles of the boring action and discusses the present experience regarding performance and costs. The Atlas Copco ""Full-facers"" are designed for hard-rock applications, although they are successfully boring in soft ground without major changes. The unique patented boring principle referred to as the 'Undercutting Method' permits these machines to bore, economically, in harder ground than machines based on the 'crushing principle'. This is mainly due to considerably lower cutting-tool costs, as the tungsten carbide tips only are in contact with one-third of the bored volume. The remaining rock is 'undercut' and peels off from a slight back pressure.The undercutting method also permits boring of non-circular headings and Atlas Copco has already manufactured two machines for rectangular drifts. This concept could revolutionize development work in mines employing trackless equipment."

Jan 1, 1971

By T. A. Rickard

FROM AN OLD MANUSCRIPT THE text for this contribution to the history of the Patio process is a page taken from a Spanish manuscript of Bartholomé Arzaj Sanches y Uela, now in the possession of the library of Brown University (see Figure 1). I owe the photographic print to the courtesy of the librarian. The date, as will be seen, is 1577. The subject is the treatment of silver ores at Potosi, in old Peru, but in modern Bolivia. The group of drawings (see Figure 1) is entitled "Arrangement of the machines in which the ores of silver are ground on the bank of Potosi, the one of two batteries and the other of one". First, top-left, we have the sketch of a "machine of one battery" operated by a water-wheel. From this mill the water runs in part along an aqueduct supported by pillars to the two-battery mill and in part down the hillside, where men are at work with "tubs, which are called cochas, in which are washed the charges of ore and amalgam". Along the top of the page are shown the "various offices in which are stored the copper, the salt, the ucha [llama dung, used for fuel], the lime, and other materials for the re-duction of the ores". To the right of these are "apartments and warehouses in which is stored the ore brought down from the mountain"?the cerro de Potosi. Through the arched portal come the "sheep [llamas] on which is brought down the ore". To this is added a reference to "the second gate, which closes the whole works". On the level above the aqueduct are seen six men carrying skin-bags that contain water. This is being sprinkled on the ore. On the extreme right are six more of these water-carriers. Next comes the two-battery mill. The mortero, or mortar, is marked on the right. Another description says, "Stone, on which the stamps crush the ore, which is called a mortar". To the left of these are indicated "screens of wire in which the ore is sifted after it has been crushed". Farther to the left, near the ore-washers, is a "shed, in which is placed the metallurgist to test the ore of the boxes". Along the left side of the page are sundry buildings, one of which is labelled a "shed in which are placed the cones of silver". Near it, lower, to the right, is the "furnace, in which are roasted the sulphides to facilitate treatment". Farther to the right is the "place where the Indians mix the charges of sulphide ore, which is called a buitron". Alongside is a "buitron in which the charges are prepared for reduction". Inside is a container, to which are attached the words "measure, called topo" On the extreme right is "another buitron in which the Indians mix the ores with their feet, as well as the heaps for the preparation of the reduction". Near the bottom, on the extreme left, is the "chapel where the holy sacri¬fice of the mass is celebrated". Under the first buitron is the "place where they dry the moist ores, called pãpear".

Jan 1, 1935

By G. Gavan

Analysis of reported injuries for off-highway haul trucks indicated that 42.7% were slip and fall, and of these 34.1% occurred mounting and dismounting the machine. Redesign of the lower steps was concluded to provide the most overall improvement for increased safety and accident reduction. Various existing, innovative and conceptual designs were reviewed and evaluated. The most promising candidate designs were the four-spring supported lower steps and the center tube mounted lower steps. Both configurations proved to be viable designs as they passed successfully human factors and survivability tests conducted at a large copper mine.

Jan 1, 1979