Mining, whether conducted on the surface or underground, presents a unique set of environmental and safety challenges. These issues require diligent management and continuous innovation to mitigate their impact.
Below are some of these problems:
- Noise
Heavy earth-moving machinery is commonly used in both opencast and underground
mines for the extraction of minerals. The most familiar issue with such machinery is
noise generation. Noise is generated in mines from both opencast and underground
machinery, and when the threshold limit value (TLV) of 90 dBA is exceeded, it has the potential to cause noise-induced hearing loss and other non-auditory effects.
Noise may not harm the worker instantly, but continuous exposure can cause temporary
or permanent hearing loss.
- Cave-Ins and Rock Falls
Since mining involves removing dirt and minerals from its natural location, ground
movement issues in both opencast and underground mines have become a major
concern for mine workers. The roof falls and side falls are one of the types of
recurring accidents in the underground mines. Slope or bench failure is the major
issue in opencast mines. Cave-ins and rock falls can lead to instant fatal, serious,
or minor accidents in mines.
- Dust Exposure
Almost all the operations in mines generate significant amounts of dust. The respirable
dust, which is less than 10 microns in size, can cause serious health effects.
The respirable dust in mines can cause coal miners pneumoconiosis, silicosis, asbestosis,
and other chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The use of water sprinklers is commonly employed to reduce dust levels in opencast mines.
- Heat and Humidity
Heat exposure in mines can lead to heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke,
which can be fatal. The increase in the amount of equipment used in mines, the depth
of mines, and poor ventilation can result in high temperature and humidity in mines.
Maintaining proper ventilation in mines can drastically reduce the problems arising
from the heat generated.
- Inundation
The sudden inrush of water is one of the major issues in both underground and opencast
mines. Inundation in underground mines can have effects varying from minor to
catastrophic accidents, and inundation in opencast mines can completely disrupt the
workings of the mine. The sources of inundation in mines are water-bearing strata,
waterlogging in adjacent workings, water seepage from the surface, water leakage
from subsidence cracks, and heavy flooding. Proper drain hole and sump design, and
having sufficient pumping systems for pumping out accumulated water, can reduce
the chance of inundation in underground mines.
- Inadequate Tracking of Workers in Emergency Situations
A fire, explosion, inundation, or roof-fall accident in a mine may dislocate the mine
workers from their workplace. The location information of the mine workers plays
a key role in successfully rescuing the missing persons from the underground mine.
Tracking systems such as zone-based active RFID, node-based personal area networks,
and node-based local area networks aid the rescue team in effectively tracking
the missing mine workers.
What’s a major environmental or safety challenge in mining that you believe doesn’t get enough attention? Let’s shed light on the less-talked-about issues in both open-cast and underground operations!
Text rights: Debi Prasad Tripathy
Source: First edition. | New York, NY : CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
