With haul roads on mining sites, it’s often a ‘feast or a famine’ scenario: the surface is either too dry and dusty, or too wet from excessive watering.
Both aspects of haul road safety are problematic, but in this article let’s concentrate on the latter – overwatering, which can often result in an uncontrolled and unsafe work environment.
It’s a big problem that can lead to a stack of incidents, usually as a result of:
- Out of control sliding & skidding
- Corner camber damage (sinking & rutting)
- Rollovers
- Collisions on ramps
- Crashes into berms (bund walls)
- Impacts at intersections, and
- Collisions with the water trucks themselves.
Naturally the problem can be alleviated by mine vehicle drivers adjusting their speed to suit the prevalent road conditions.
Prior to that, the problem can be assuaged by haul road designers reducing the number of steep grades, narrow roadways and tight corners particularly on ramps… and improving berm design (width, height and thickness).
According to several reports the design and maintenance of haul-roads is integral in surface haulage safety.
As they state: “Over-watering (haul) roads leads to maintenance problems and accidents due to uncontrolled movements of vehicles.”
Problems of overwatering haul roads
As well as the above-mentioned safety risks, overwatering haul roads:
- Degrades road quality
- Reduces tyre traction
- Increases brake stoppage time
- Destabilises slopes
- Leads to more maintenance/ repairs,
- Wastes water, and
- Facilitates erosion.
As well as that, pooled water can soften road bases, potentially causing further washouts and collapsing fill sections and slopes.
