n) any other provisions relevant to the site

Further information

Occupational radiation protection in the mining and processing of raw materials: Safety guide (International Atomic Energy Agency and ILO), Vienna, 2004; International basic safety standards for protection against ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiation sources (FAO, IAEA, ILO, OECD/NEA, PAHO and WHO), Vienna, 1996 and the ILO code of practice Radiation protection of workers (ionizing radiations) (Geneva, 1987). 8.1.3.3. Non-ionizing radiation 8.1.3.3.1. Assessment of risk 1. There should be an assessment of equipment and activities likely to give rise to hazardous exposure to non-ionizing radiation. The assessment might include such matters as: (a) potential exposure to sunlight (UV, infrared and visible radiation); (b) the altitude at which outside work is to be performed (the effect of the sun’s rays is stronger at higher altitudes); (c) the use of lasers at the mine site (a laser beam consists of strong, coherent visible radiation); and (d) the use of other potential UV sources, such as fluorescent and discharge type light sources, electric arc welding and plasma torches. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 29 8.1.3.3.2. Control strategies 1. It is desirable to limit sun exposure by wearing appropriate clothing (including sunglasses), limiting periods of exposure by the provision of shade and the use of protective sun screen on exposed skin. As indicated above, these measures may be more critical at higher altitudes. 2. Guidance on the use of lasers may be found in The use of lasers in the workplace: A practical guide, ILO Occupational Safety and Health Series No. 68 (Geneva, 1993). 3. Excessive exposure to non-solar UV radiation may be reduced by: (a) ensuring that tungsten-halogen lamps are only used with glass filters; and (b) ensuring that electric arc welding is only done while wearing appropriate PPE (on both the welder and any observers). 4. Health surveillance measures for an opencast mine should take into account the potential for exposure to non-ionizing radiation where this is an issue at the mine. Workers should be instructed about radiation types, their potential effects, and how they are monitored and measured. 8.2. Electric and magnetic fields 1. Electric and magnetic fields are found around all equipment that passes an electric current. Some studies have shown that exposure to magnetic fields can cause certain types of cancers and brain tumours. They can also affect a person’s mood, alertness, heart function, and the immune and reproductive systems. Some individuals suffer from skin irritation in the presence of electrical fields. 2. Workers with heart pacemakers should not be employed in areas where they may be exposed to magnetic fields of a strength likely to affect the device. Equipment producing such fields should be clearly signposted. 3. Unlike electric fields, magnetic fields cannot be easily screened off, as they can pass through all materials. However, the power of the field rapidly diminishes as the distance from the source of the magnetic field increases. It is generally advisable to shut down all electrical equipment when not in use. 4. Fixed installations which generate high strength fields, such as transformers and switching stations, should be sited as far away from work areas as possible. 5. Further guidelines and recommendations can be found in Protection of workers from power frequency electric and magnetic fields: A practical guide, ILO Occupational Safety and Health Series No. 69 (Geneva, 1994). 8.3. Stored energy 8.3.1. can be found in the Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety (ILO, online edition, 2012), Part VI, General Hazards, Barometric pressure reduced. 8.9. Tailings dam failure 8.9.1.

Hazard statements

1. The opencast mining industry uses a variety of machinery which contains stored energy, for example, pressure energy in pneumatic and hydraulic systems, electrical energy in capacitive elements or batteries, or mechanical energy in components under strain. The unexpected release of these energies can lead to very serious injury to workers in the vicinity. Of 30 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx particular concern are maintenance activities which typically involve workers being in close proximity to machinery with stored energy (unless isolated or dissipated) and undertaking activities which are likely to compromise the containment of that energy. 2. A particular hazard is presented by hydraulic systems which typically operate under very high pressures. Workers in close proximity to these systems may suffer hydraulic fluid injection injuries which, in addition to the physical damage caused, can result in necrosis of surrounding tissue due to the common components of hydraulic fluids. 8.3.2. Assessment of risk 1. An initial and ongoing risk assessment should be conducted to identify machinery and its components containing stored energy which, if accidently released, can result in injury to workers. 8.3.3. Control strategies 1. Workers who may work in close proximity to machinery containing stored energy should be identified and made aware of the potential hazards of the unexpected release of that energy. This especially applies to workers involved in maintenance activities. 2. Where there are specific hazards, such as electricity, pressure differentials, poor air quality or radiation, these should be identified and controlled so that workers and others in the workplace are not endangered. This should include confirmation that: (a) electrical, gas and liquid connections have been isolated and any excess pressure in the systems concerned has been discharged; (b) any unexpected movement of machinery is prevented; (c) suspended loads have been secured; (d) scaffolding, work platforms and ladders used for the work have an adequate stability and carrying capacity; (e) the tools to be used are in good condition and suitable for their intended purpose; (f) when tanks or confined spaces are serviced, inspected or cleaned, measures have been taken to control the danger from lack of oxygen, toxic gasses or other hazardous substances, and that appropriate emergency procedures are in place; (g) access to the danger area is restricted to essential personnel; and (h) appropriate PPE and protective clothing are supplied and used. 3. To isolate or dissipate potentially damaging energy sources, the following action should be taken: (a) machinery should be fitted with a means to disconnect and isolate it from all energy sources. Such isolators should be clearly identified. They should be capable of being locked in the “off” position if reconnection could endanger workers. This is especially important where a worker is unable to check that the energy is still cut off due to the inaccessibility of the area; MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 31 (b) the operator should identify and implement specific procedures for the control of hazardous energy. These procedures should include preparation for shut-down, lock- out or tag-out, a permit-to-work system and verification of isolation, as part of a formal risk management system; (c) after the energy is cut off it should be possible to dissipate normally any energy remaining or stored in the circuits of the machinery without risk to workers; (d) certain circuits may remain connected to their energy sources in order, for example, to hold parts, to protect information, and to light interiors. In this case, special steps should be taken to ensure worker safety. 8.4. Noise 8.4.1. 1. Exposure to noise levels exceeding those determined to be safe can result in noise-induced hearing loss. Exposure to high noise levels may also interfere with communication and may result in nervous fatigue with an increased risk of occupational injury. In opencast mines, workers are exposed to noise from many types of machinery, equipment and processes. 8.4.2. Assessment of risk 1. The competent authority should set standards for the maximum noise dose considered acceptable to prevent hearing impairment in the working environment on a daily basis and for the maximum peak noise level. 2. The assessment of risk should, as appropriate, consider the: (a) risk of hearing impairment; (b) degree of interference to communication essential for safety purposes; and (c) risk of fatigue, with due consideration of the mental and physical workload and other non-auditory hazards or effects. 3. In order to prevent adverse effects of noise on workers, employers should: (a) identify the sources of noise and the tasks that give rise to exposure to noise; (b) seek the advice of the competent authority and/or the occupational health service about exposure limits and other standards to be applied; (c) seek the advice of the supplier of processes and equipment used in the mine environment about expected noise emission; and (d) if this advice is incomplete or in doubt, arrange for measurements by competent professionals in accordance with current nationally and/or internationally recognized standards and regulations. 32 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 4. Noise measurements should be used to: (a) quantify the level and duration of the exposure of workers and compare it with exposure limits, as established by the competent authority or internationally recognized standards; (b) identify and characterize the sources of noise and exposed workers; (c) create a noise map for the determination of risk areas; (d) assess the need both for engineering noise prevention and control and for other appropriate measures and their effective implementation; and (e) evaluate the effectiveness of existing noise prevention and control measures. 8.4.3. Control strategies 1. Based on the assessment of the exposure to noise in the working environment, the employer should establish a noise-prevention programme with the aim of eliminating the hazard or risk, or reducing it to the lowest practicable level by all appropriate means. The employer should review the effectiveness of any engineering and administrative controls to identify and correct any deficiencies. If a worker’s noise exposure exceeds the permissible level, the employer should use all feasible engineering and administrative controls to reduce the worker’s noise exposure to the permissible exposure level, and enrol the worker in a hearing conservation programme that would include: (a) audiometric testing; (b) training and education on hearing loss; (c) providing hearing protection that is effective; (d) conducting additional noise measurements to determine continued exposure; and (e) continue to examine methods and controls to lower the noise levels causing the overexposure. 2. In the case of new processes and equipment, as far as practicable: (a) low noise output of the process and equipment should be specified as a condition of purchase, alongside production-related specifications; and (b) the workplace layout should be arranged to minimize noise exposure to the workers. 3. In the case of existing processes and equipment, it should first be considered whether the noisy process is necessary at all, or whether it could be carried out in another way without generating noise. If the elimination of the noisy process as a whole is not practicable, replacing its noisy parts with quieter alternatives should be considered. 4. If the elimination of noisy processes and equipment as a whole is impracticable, individual sources should be separated out and their relative contribution to the overall sound pressure level identified. Once the causes or sources of noise are identified, the first step in the noise- control process should be to attempt to control it at source. Such measures may also be effective in reducing vibration. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 33 5. If prevention and control at source do not reduce exposure sufficiently, enclosure of the noise source should be considered as the next step. In designing enclosures, several factors should be taken into consideration if the enclosure is to prove satisfactory from both an acoustical and a production perspective, including workers’ access and ventilation. Enclosures should be designed and manufactured in accordance with the requirements and needs indicated by the user, consistent with internationally recognized standards and regulations. 6. If enclosure of the noise source is impracticable, consideration should be given to alternative sound transmission-path treatment using a barrier to block or shield the worker from the noise hazard. Barriers should be designed and manufactured in accordance with the requirements and needs indicated by the user, consistent with accepted standards. 7. If reducing the noise at source or intercepting it does not reduce workers’ exposure sufficiently, then the final options for reducing exposure should be to: (a) install an acoustical booth or shelter for those job activities where the movement of the worker is confined to a relatively small area; (b) minimize, by appropriate organizational measures, the time workers spend in the noisy environment; (c) provide hearing protection; and (d) offer audiometric testing. 8. Workers who may be, or have been, exposed to noise levels exceeding occupational standards should receive regular audiometric testing (for example, within three months of commencing work, and at least every two years). Workers who may be exposed to significant levels of noise should be trained in: (a) the effective use of hearing-protection devices; (b) identifying and reporting on new or unusual sources of noise that they become aware of; and (c) the role of audiometric examination. 9. Workers in noisy environments should be informed of the: (a) results of their audiometric tests; (b) factors leading to noise-induced hearing loss and the consequences, in non-auditory effects and social consequences, especially for young workers; (c) the precautions necessary, especially those requiring the intervention of workers or the use of hearing protection devices; (d) effects that a noisy environment may have on their general safety; and (e) symptoms of adverse effects of exposure to high levels of noise. 10. For further information refer to Chapter 9 of the ILO code of practice, Ambient factors in the workplace (Geneva, 2001). 34 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 8.5. Vibration 8.5.1. 1. Exposure of workers to hazardous vibration mainly comprises: (a) whole-body vibration, when the body is supported on a surface that is vibrating, such as in transport or when working near vibrating industrial machinery; or (b) hand-transmitted vibration, which enters the body through the hands and is caused by various processes in which vibrating tools or work pieces are grasped or pushed by the hands or fingers. 2. Exposure limits should be established according to current international knowledge and data. Further detailed information can be found in Appendix III. 8.5.2. Assessment of risk 1. If workers are frequently exposed to hand-transmitted or whole-body vibration, and obvious steps do not eliminate the exposure, the employer should assess the hazard and risk to safety and health resulting from the conditions, and: (a) identify the sources of vibration and the tasks that give rise to exposure; (b) seek the advice of the competent authority about exposure limits and other standards to be applied; (c) seek the advice of the supplier of vehicles and equipment about their vibration emissions; or (d) if this advice is incomplete or in doubt, arrange for measurements by a competent person, in accordance with recognized standards and regulations and currently available knowledge. 2. Vibration measurements should be used to: (a) quantify the level and duration of exposure of workers, and compare it with exposure limits as established by the competent authority or other standards to be applied; (b) identify and characterize the sources of vibration and the exposed workers; (c) assess the need both for engineering vibration control and for other appropriate measures, and for their effective implementation; (d) evaluate the effectiveness of particular vibration-prevention and vibration-control measures; and (e) if possible, determine the resonance frequencies. 3. The assessment should identify the ways in which vibrating tools are used, and determine in particular whether: (a) the high-risk use of tools can be eliminated; (b) workers have had sufficient training in the use of the tools; and MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 35 (c) the use of tools can be improved by supports. 4. With a view to establishing appropriate prevention and control measures, the assessment should take into account: (a) exposure to cold at the workplace, which can bring on symptoms of vibration white finger (Raynaud’s phenomenon) in those exposed to vibration; (b) vibration of the head or eyes, as well as vibration of the displays themselves, which can affect the perception of displays; and (c) body or limb vibration which can affect the manipulation of controls. 8.5.3. Control strategies 1. Employers should ensure that workers who are exposed to significant vibration hazards are: (a) informed about the hazards and risks of prolonged use of vibrating tools; (b) informed about the measures within the workers control which will minimize risk, particularly the proper adjustment of seating and working positions; (c) instructed in the correct handling and use of hand tools with a light but safe grip; and (d) encouraged to report finger blanching, numbness or tingling, without unwarranted discrimination, for which there should be recourse in national law and practice. 2. Manufacturers should: (a) provide vibration values for their tools; (b) redesign processes to avoid the need to use vibrating tools; (c) provide information to ensure that vibration is controlled by correct installation; (d) avoid resonance frequencies of the component parts of machinery and equipment; (e) consider including remote control capabilities into equipment that causes vibration 1. Risks arise in special conditions including when: (a) temperature and/or humidity are unusually high; (b) workers are exposed to high radiant heat; (c) high temperatures and/or humidity occur in combination with heavy protective clothing or a high work rate; (d) temperature is unusually low; (e) high wind speed (>5m/s) prevails with a low temperature; or (f) work with bare hands is carried out for extended periods of time at low temperatures. 8.6.2. Assessment of risk 1. If workers are exposed in all or some of their tasks to any conditions listed above, and the hazard cannot be eliminated, employers should assess the hazards and risks to safety and health from extreme temperatures, and determine the controls necessary to remove the hazards or risks or to reduce them to the lowest practicable level. 2. Workers should be allowed sufficient time to acclimatize to a hot environment, including major changes in climatic conditions. 3. The assessment of the thermal environment should take into account the risks arising from working with hazardous substances in work situations such as: (a) the use of protective clothing against hazardous substances, thereby increasing the risk of heat stress; (b) a hot environment that makes respiratory protectors uncomfortable and less likely to be used, and necessitates restructuring of jobs in order to reduce the risks, for example by: (i) minimizing exposure to the hazardous substances so that there is less need for protective clothing; (ii) changing the tasks so that the work pace is reduced in hot conditions; and (iii) increasing the number of rest periods and job rotation. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 37 4. In assessing the hazards and risks, employers should: (a) make comparisons with other similar workplaces where measurements have been made; where this is not practicable, arrange for measurements to be performed by a technically capable person, using appropriate and properly calibrated equipment; (b) seek the advice of the occupational health service or a competent body about the exposure standards to be applied; and (c) bear in mind that the quality of fine work done by hand is adversely affected by cold temperatures. 8.6.3. Control strategies 1. When the assessment reveals that workers may be at risk of heat stress or hypothermia, employers should, as far as practicable, eliminate the need for work in such conditions or take measures to reduce the risks from extreme temperatures. 2. Where the assessment shows that unhealthy or uncomfortable conditions arise from increased air temperature, the employer should implement means to reduce air temperature, which may include ventilation or air cooling. 3. Employers should take particular care with ventilation design where work is undertaken in enclosed spaces or areas. When fail-safe systems are not in operation, there should be adequate supervision of workers at risk to ensure that they can be removed from danger. 4. Where part of the risk arises from the metabolic heat produced during work, and other methods of eliminating the risk are impracticable, employers should arrange a work–rest cycle for exposed workers preferably in an air-conditioned or cooler resting room. The rest periods should be as prescribed by the competent authority and should be sufficient to allow the worker to recover. Employers should ensure that the appropriate mechanical aids are available to reduce workloads and that tasks performed in hot environments are well designed ergonomically to minimize physical stress. 5. For hydration maintenance, employers should make available sufficient quantities of drinking water, with the proper electrolytes, where appropriate. 6. Where a residual risk of heat stress remains even after all the control measures have been taken, workers should be adequately supervised so that they can be withdrawn from the hot conditions if symptoms occur. Employers should ensure that first-aid facilities, and staff trained in the use of such facilities, are available. 7. Extra care should be taken when workers are required to move from a very hot working environment to a much colder one, especially when exposed to a strong wind, as the wind- chill factor can result in exposed flesh cooling very rapidly. 8. Workers should be protected against the severest forms of cold stress, hypothermia and cold injury. 9. The core body temperature should not be allowed to fall below 36°C (96.8°F). Suitable protection should be provided to prevent injury to extremities. 38 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 10. Workers exposed to heat or cold, as well as their supervisory officials, should be trained: (a) to recognize symptoms which may lead to heat stress or hypothermia, in themselves or others, and the steps to be taken to prevent onset and/or emergencies; (b) in the use of rescue and first-aid measures; and (c) in action to be taken in the event of the increased risk of accidents because of high or low temperatures. 11. Workers should be advised of: (a) the importance of physical fitness for work in hot or cold environments; and (b) the importance of drinking sufficient quantities of a suitable liquid and the dietary requirements providing intake of salt and potassium and other elements that are depleted due to sweating. 8.7. Fatigue 8.7.1. 1. Fatigue can be defined as a state of impairment that can include physical and/or mental elements, associated with lower alertness and reduced performance. Signs of fatigue include tiredness even after sleep, psychological disturbances, loss of energy and inability to concentrate. Causal factors include: (a) physical/mental demands of work; (b) shift work, especially night work; (c) extended shifts (more than eight hours); (d) excessive time spent commuting; (e) work environment conditions; and (f) non-work related factors. 2. Fatigue can lead to dangerous occurrences because workers are not alert and are less able or less quickly able to respond to changing circumstances. In addition, fatigue can lead to long‐ term health problems. 3. Fatigue results from a number of factors, including environmental conditions, such as excessive heat, cold or noise; physical or mental overexertion; and/or insufficient rest and sleep between activities (for example, from poor quality sleep). The inter‐related causes of fatigue include: (a) time of day that work takes place; (b) length of time spent at work and in work‐related duties; (c) type and duration of work tasks and the environment in which they are performed; (d) quantity and quality of rest obtained prior to and after a work period; MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 39 (e) activities outside work, such as family commitments or a second job; and (f) individual factors, such as sleep disorders. 4. Acute fatigue is caused by immediate episodes of sleep deprivation; for example, because of long periods of wakefulness from excessively long shifts or night shifts without adequate daytime rest. Ongoing sleep disruption can lead to sleep debt and chronic sleep deprivation, placing individuals in a state of increased risk to themselves and to others. It results in: (a) unpleasant muscular weariness; (b) tiredness in everyday activities; and (c) reduced coordination and alertness. If sleep deprivation continues, work performance can deteriorate even further. 5. Fatigue can result from features of the work and the workplace and from features of a worker’s life outside work. Levels of work‐related fatigue are similar for different individuals performing the same tasks. 8.7.2. Assessment of risk 1. Work-related fatigue can and should be assessed and managed at an organizational level. The contribution of non-work‐related factors varies considerably between individuals. Non- work‐related fatigue is best managed at an individual level. 2. Work‐related causes of fatigue include: (a) aspects of the tasks being undertaken (for example, greater workload within standard shifts); (b) roster design (for example, too many consecutive night shifts); (c) unplanned work, overtime, emergencies, breakdowns and call‐outs; (d) features of the working environment (such as noise or temperature extremes); and (e) commuting times. 3. Non-work‐related causes of fatigue include: (a) sleep disruption due to ill family members; (b) strenuous activities outside work, such as a second job; (c) sleep disorders; (d) inappropriate use of alcohol, prescription and illegal drugs; and (e) stress associated with financial difficulties or domestic responsibilities. 40 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 8.7.3. Control strategies 1. A fatigue risk assessment should be carried out and a written auditable fatigue management plan drawn up for all operations that have working time arrangements where workers: (a) carry out work between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.; (b) work more than 48 hours in any consecutive five-day period (working on each day) including unplanned work, emergencies, overtime, breakdowns and call-outs; or (c) do not have a minimum of two consecutive days off in any seven‐day period. Additional fatigue hazards identified during the risk assessment should be included in the plan. 2. The risk assessment and the fatigue management plan should be developed in consultation with workers and their representatives, and there should be a demonstrated commitment from all parties that it will be supported by the whole organization. It should cover the rosters, roles and responsibilities of managers, professional staff, contractors, those who work on planned rosters and unplanned work such as overtime and call outs. Commuting times should also be considered. 3. Daily and weekly working hours should be arranged so as to provide adequate periods of rest which, as prescribed by national laws or approved by inspectorates or collective agreements, where applicable, should include: (a) appropriate breaks during working hours, especially when the work is strenuous, dangerous or monotonous, to enable workers to recover their vigilance and physical fitness; (b) sufficient breaks for meals; (c) daily or nightly rest; (d) weekly rest. Extended workdays (above eight hours) should be contemplated only if: (a) the nature of the work and the workload permit; and (b) the shift system is designed to minimize the accumulation of fatigue. 4. Any changes in work schedules that could affect OSH should be preceded by full consultation with the workers and their representatives. 8.8. Work at high altitudes 8.8.1. 1. While the proportion (or concentration) of oxygen in the atmosphere remains constant at higher altitudes, the partial pressure of oxygen decreases. For example, at an altitude of 5,000 m, the partial pressure of oxygen is only 53 per cent of its value at sea level. Partial pressure is the pressure exerted by oxygen itself, to which the human body responds. The result is that less oxygen is available to the body at higher altitudes with every breath MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 41 containing fewer and fewer molecules of oxygen. The body is effectively starved of oxygen, which is referred to as hypoxia and has a number of physiological effects: (a) hyperventilation (breathing faster, deeper or both); (b) shortness of breath; (c) changed breathing pattern at night; (d) waking frequently at night; and (e) increased urination. These effects vary widely between individuals and are perfectly normal responses. 2. While the body can acclimatize to tolerate lower oxygen levels, this takes time. The body, in effect, balances itself, and this probably occurs during periods of sleep. The period required for acclimatization can vary considerably between individuals and may typically be of the order of several days. From this point of balance, the body can accommodate a further increase in altitude. But there is a limit, and if it is exceeded acute mountain sickness (AMS) can result. 3. The symptoms of AMS are a headache and any one of the following: (a) loss of appetite, nausea, or vomiting; (b) fatigue or weakness; (c) dizziness or light-headedness; or (d) difficulty sleeping. 4. These are thought to be a result of a mild swelling of brain tissue due to hypoxia and can vary from mild to severe. If the swelling progresses far enough, then high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) can result. HACE is characterized by the loss of the ability to think and possibly confusion, behavioural changes and lethargy. There is also a characteristic loss of coordination. HACE can progress rapidly and can be fatal in a matter of a few hours to one or two days. 5. Another form of severe altitude illness is high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), or fluid in the lungs. Although this often occurs alongside AMS, it is not felt to be related and the classic signs of AMS may be absent. Signs and symptoms of HAPE include any of the following: (a) extreme fatigue; (b) breathlessness at rest; (c) fast, shallow breathing; (d) cough, possibly producing frothy or pink sputum; (e) gurgling or rattling breaths; (f) chest tightness, fullness or congestion; 42 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (g) blue or grey lips or fingernails; or (h) drowsiness. 6. Even without severe symptoms, the low oxygen stress of altitude can impair work efficiency, performance and safety due to maladaptive behaviour, distorted consciousness and reduced sleep quality. 8.8.2. Assessment of risk 1. The assessment of the risk of working at high altitude might consider the following: (a) the medical condition of workers expected to work at high altitudes; (b) the experience and familiarity of the workers with high altitude work; (c) the familiarity of workers with the body’s normal response to increase in altitude (increased breathing and urination); (d) the availability of means of rehydration for workers; (e) arrangements to ensure that un-acclimatized workers are not put at risk (to themselves or others); (f) workers’ familiarity with the symptoms of the onset of AMS, HACE and HAPE; (g) the degree of acclimatization of the workers; (h) change in altitude prior to work from the altitude at which the workers were last acclimatized; (i) the availability of first response or medical support for affected workers; and (j) the availability of emergency evacuation to lower altitudes, if required. 8.8.3. Control strategies 1. It is common for national laws to specify the standards necessary to protect workers in opencast mines situated at high altitudes. Specific regard should be paid to the particular characteristics of these mines and the hazards to which the workers are exposed because of the location of such mines. Control strategies to prevent ill effects at high altitude might include: (a) pre-employment and periodic medical examinations of workers, with special attention to the cardio-pulmonary system. Unfortunately, at present, there appear to be no reliable medical criteria to predict an individual’s capacity for high altitude work; (b) selection of workers indigenous to high altitude; (c) selection of workers who have shown previous capacity to work at high altitude (for example, at an altitude of 4,500 m for several weeks without appreciable problems); (d) where workers are from lower altitudes, appropriate scheduling of periods of high altitude work considering: MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 43 (i) while many affected people feel much better after two to four days, it may take up to seven to ten days for the body’s ventilatory response to stabilize; (ii) there is potential for loss of acclimatization if workers spend too long at low altitude; (iii) the time taken for workers to travel from their homes or sleeping quarters to the mine site (sleeping at lower altitude, if possible, is advantageous); and (iv) psychosocial factors (although long periods working at high altitude may be the most medically efficient, they may be unacceptable socially); (e) training of workers to understand and appreciate the symptoms of AMS, HACE and HAPE; (f) the supply of medication (for example, acetazolamide) to assist acclimatization and improve the quality of sleep at altitude; (g) provision to allow anyone who develops a high altitude illness to rest, to be given oxygen and, if there is no improvement, or a deterioration, to be taken to a lower altitude; (h) occupational exposure limits, and the means of monitoring compliance with them, should be suitably modified for higher altitudes; (i) the availability to workers of means of rehydration; and (j) making a high altitude worksite “dry” (alcohol free). 1. Tailings dams contain the leftover material from the mining process, often in large quantities. Tailings are chemically similar to the parent mined material, but the presence of process reagents, evaporation of water and weathering after deposition may significantly change their properties. All tailings have been subjected in some way to physical and/or chemical separation processes, such as flotation, cyanidation or acid leaching. 2. If a tailings dam bursts it can release millions of cubic metres of potentially toxic sludge and mine waste into the nearby environment. In some cases, communities have been destroyed and lives lost. Homes, land and livelihoods have been ruined. Cleaning up and repairing damage can take many years and is a very expensive process. 3. Some common adverse characteristics of material deposited as tailings include: (a) remnant cyanide; (b) high pH; (c) sulphide minerals which, through oxidation, have the potential to generate acid and consequently mobilize heavy metals; 44 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (d) elevated arsenic levels; (e) highly saline pore water; and (f) colloidal clays and other suspended, or potential mobile material. 4. The more serious potential impacts associated with a tailings dam failure include: (a) threat to human life, health or infrastructure; (b) short-term and long-term pollution of ground and/or surface waters; (c) raised groundwater levels resulting in salination of the surface and streams; (d) the release of a large volume of water and semi-fluid tailings which smother vegetation, blanket the land surface and restrict stream flow with sediment; (e) threat to the health or life of wildlife, livestock or domestic animals; (f) loss of significant native vegetation; and (g) generation of dust or odour. 5. The potential of these facilities to generate catastrophic accidents has been demonstrated in numerous cases. Deficiencies in design, management or operational practice, inadequate controls, unauthorized access, climatic events or geotechnical instability can reduce their safety margin. 8.9.2. Assessment of risks 1. The risk assessment of a tailings dam should take a life-cycle approach. The main phases for a tailings dam are: design, construction, operation and decommissioning. 2. Elements in the design of a large tailings dam or one storing contaminated tailings that may require consideration in the risk assessment include: (a) location, with particular emphasis on whether the effects of failure may extend off-site; (b) containment system; (c) type of lifting of the dam crest; and (d) where relevant, cyanide management. 3. Hazards associated with the operation of a tailings dam may arise through: (a) inadequate site security; (b) structural failure; (c) operational failure; (d) equipment failure; or (e) unforeseen circumstances or consequences. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 45 4. For instance, the main threats to the stability of an artificial embankment may be: (a) overtopping by flood waters; (b) slope instability caused by high hydraulic pressure; (c) piping of fine-grained material during seepage; or (d) liquefaction of saturated fines during seismic activity or other vibration. 8.9.3. Control strategies 8.9.3.1. Design 1. Competent specialist engineering expertise should be assigned to oversee the entire life cycle of each tailings dam. A competent authority should oversee the entire life cycle of any tailings dam and may require the facility to be approved prior to commissioning. 2. One of the earliest and most important stages in the design of a tailings dam is the selection of an appropriate site. A proposed site for a tailings dam should be established as suitable and safe in all respects. 3. In assessing safety and suitability, particular consideration should be given to safeguarding the safety and health of the nearby population during normal operation, and also in the event of a dam failure. 4. Site selection often requires analysis of a number of competing factors, some of which may be subject to national laws. 5. Matters that may be considered in assessing site selection include: (a) the area and nature of the catchment above the tailings dam: tailings dams should be designed and located to have the smallest practical catchment; (b) climatic conditions, such as peak flows from critical storms and wet seasons; (c) long-term stability of structures, such as stream diversions; (d) location of domestic water supplies; (e) effects of drainage works on downstream flow regimes, and particularly flooding; (f) landscape design; and (g) planned rehabilitation outcomes. 6. Tailings dams should be adequate for their proposed use and need to be adapted to the particular site, the mineralogy and treatment of the raw material and the desired ultimate landform. The primary design objectives for a tailings dam may be: (a) the safe and stable containment of tailings; (b) the management of decant and rainfall run-off; (c) the minimization or control of seepage; 46 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (d) a cost-effective storage system; and (e) a planned system for effective closure. 7. Appropriate investigation of the foundations of the dam and analysis of the possible causes of failure should be conducted early in the design of all tailings dams. A geological map of the area should also be prepared. The plans, sections and geological map should be kept securely at the mine. 8. Tailings dam design should meet contemporary standards and have identified and addressed all likely risks associated with the site, the nature of the containment materials, the nature, quantity and treatment of the tailings, construction process and closure. 8.9.3.2. Construction 1. Reports detailing the construction of each lift should be prepared and retained to assist determination of the overall stability and future life of a tailings dam. 2. The reports should include survey drawings of: (a) original ground surface contours inside and outside the tailings dam; (b) the locations of test boreholes and pits (and details of their backfilling); (c) the location of the drainage system; (d) the location and profiles of any borrow pits inside the facility; (e) embankment profiles; and (f) confirmation that the lining has been constructed to the required specifications. 3. Construction records should be retained to allow the effective monitoring of the long-term performance of a tailings dam. Ground conditions should be properly monitored and appropriate remedial works undertaken where zones of higher permeability or lower structural strength are encountered in the substrate. This information should be included in construction records. Embankment walls should be correctly keyed in. Some designs may rely on such technically complex features as grout curtains or geo-membrane liners. 4. The materials used should be appropriate and compatible with the rest of the design, emplaced to the correct compaction levels and gradient, and produce an erosion resistant outer wall. 5. Where it is necessary to vary the design during construction of a large tailings dam, it should be verified that the changes do not compromise the design objectives. The changes should be reviewed and endorsed by a suitably qualified and experienced person (such as the original designer). Changes should be reflected in all records. As a significant change could invalidate a previous risk assessment, the amended design should be reassessed and resubmitted for authorization to the competent authority. 8.9.3.3. Operation 1. Well-planned operational practices can minimize risks from a tailings dam. This should include planning for the systematic deposition of tailings, water and process chemicals in the dam. Although these processes are simple, minor variations in the way they are carried out can significantly impact on outcomes. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 47 2. An operations manual, for utilization by operational personnel, should be in place from the time of commissioning of a tailings dam. 3. The level of detail in the operations manual should be determined by the characteristics of the specific site. However, the manual should document all relevant operational procedures, such as: (a) roles and responsibilities; (b) method for tailings deposition; (c) water management and maintenance of freeboard; (d) inspection schedule and maintenance; (e) safety and health monitoring arising from the dam; (f) record-keeping; (g) reporting requirements; and (h) any additional requirements specified by the dam designer. 4. Tailings dam personnel should have a detailed understanding of those aspects of the operations manual relevant to their day-to-day functions and responsibilities. The operations manual should be updated as required to reflect any significant changes in site conditions. 5. Monitoring and regular reviews are essential management tools for the operation of a tailings dam. Where monitoring or reviews indicate deficiencies in the risk assessment or risk controls, there should be a clearly defined process for review of those measures. 6. Depending on the facility, features to be included in a safety monitoring programme for a large tailings dam might include: (a) seepage or leakage through the embankment; (b) cracking, slips, movement or deformation of the embankment; (c) erosion of the embankment; (d) pond level; (e) pond location (location of the pond against the embankment may pose particular problems); (f) hydraulic pressure levels in embankments (to this end, knowledge of the location of saturated ground would assist); (g) structural defects or obstructions in infrastructure (outlet pipes, spillway, decant system); (h) borehole groundwater elevations; (i) under-drain flow rates; 48 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (j) obstruction or erosion of diversion drains; and (k) characteristics and consolidation behaviour of the tailings (enabling the prediction of final settlement and the refinement of the design to suit the predicted conditions). 8.9.3.4. Decommissioning 1. Tailings material should be securely stored for an indefinite period and present no hazard to public safety and health. The closure of a tailings dam and rehabilitation works should therefore be as inherently stable, resistant to degradation and consistent with the surrounding landscape as possible. The design should also seek to minimize upkeep. 2. Early planning for closure of a tailings dam can reduce risks for both the community and operator and minimize costs. Most tailings dams require large quantities of cover material. 3. Tailings dams should be designed for the long term and the tailings dam operator should provide for the long-term maintenance and upkeep costs associated with such facilities. 8.9.3.5. Management of cyanide 1. Sodium cyanide solutions are widely used in the mining industry for the recovery of gold and other non-ferrous metals. Industry favours cyanide because the technology is proven, well understood and available at reasonable cost. However, cyanide is highly toxic and should be very carefully managed to minimize the associated risks. 2. In the mining industry where tailings contain cyanide, heavy metals or other undesirable constituents, seepage rates usually need to be managed by the installation of a suitable liner and often an under-drainage system. A number of options for liner construction are available, including clay and artificial liners, or a combination of both. 3. Where a liner is required for a large tailings dam or a dam storing contaminated tailings, the design process should be used to specify an appropriate design permeability and liner thickness. The design risk assessment should include consideration of: (a) the potential rate of seepage under and through the embankment and the base of the tailings dam; (b) the predicted chemical composition of seepage; (c) the predicted physical and chemical properties of the tailings; (d) the characteristics of the underlying substrate; and (e) the potential impacts on the beneficial uses of groundwater and surface water systems. 4. Tailings dam design proposals incorporating a clay liner should specify a minimum thickness for the liner, taking the following factors into account: (a) the thickness required to ensure construction is practicable given the need to compact in layers and minimize the development of preferential pathways; (b) the applicability of assumptions about the degree of compaction to be achieved and the extent of homogeneity in the liner material; (c) the permeability of the underlying substrate; MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 49 (d) the expected permeability of the emplaced tailings; and (e) the risk of the liner integrity being compromised by cracking or mechanical damage while tailings are being deposited or prior to the commencement of deposition. 5. Tailings containing toxic chemicals, such as cyanide, can often be treated to neutralize their toxicity. However, the processing costs should be weighed against the benefits. A further consideration is that cyanide compounds degrade rapidly in the environment. Potential technologies to replace cyanide exist, but are not in wide use and are, in some cases, considered more hazardous. 6. The approach to be taken in the management of cyanide at a particular site is best determined by considering the hazards and risks applicable to the location. For example, a tailings dam within a domestic or any potable water supply catchment would need to consider the risk of contamination of water supplies. In this case it is highly likely that neutralization of cyanide would be required to adequately reduce the risk. 7. Decisions about the management of cyanide depend on a number of interacting factors. A formal hazard identification and assessment approach is needed to determine the best approach. It is also essential that this assessment be undertaken in conjunction with risk assessments for other elements of tailings dam design, such as location, water management and permeability, so that the outcomes are complementary. 8. Factors to be considered in relation to the management of cyanide include: (a) planned and possible discharge concentration and amounts from a processing plant to the tailings dam; (b) potential impact on wildlife; (c) risks to surface waters; (d) risks to groundwater; (e) risks to livestock and domestic animals; and (f) risks to people. 9. Controls that should be considered to mitigate the risks of cyanide include: (a) reduction or elimination of the amount and concentration of cyanide in tailings; (b) animal deterrents (acoustic or visible); (c) physical barriers to access by animals to the supernatant water, such as fencing, mesh covers or floating barriers; (d) decant systems or seepage control to reduce the surface area of the supernatant pond; (e) more intensive site supervision; and (f) amendments to design criteria, such as structural design or method of deposition. 50 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 8.9.3.6. Emergency response plan 1. Where an opencast mine has one or more tailings dams, the emergency response plan for the mine (see Chapter 7) should be extended to incorporate relevant provisions covering emergencies which may arise and include, as a minimum: (a) an assessment of persons, property and environmental features at risk; (b) actions to be taken appropriate to the scale of the emergency, including lines of responsibility (and names and contact details of nominated safety personnel), communications, and involvement of police and emergency services; (c) details of any necessary evacuation procedure, including the location of assembly points, in the event of failure or impending failure; (d) accessible advice to all personnel on-site as to the nature of the emergency warning system, or warnings and procedures to be followed; and (e) training and refreshment programmes on safety procedures for all personnel involved. 8.9.3.7. Reporting of dangerous occurrences 1. The safety of facilities such as tailings dams can be enhanced through the sharing of experience and knowledge about accidents and dangerous occurrences. The competent authority or an entity designated by it should act as a central repository and disseminator of such information. 2. The employer in charge of the mine should make provision for the immediate notification of dangerous occurrences (including near misses) to the competent authority to allow evaluation and timely investigation. The competent authority should then circulate relevant information from reports of dangerous occurrences to other mine operators and jurisdictions, as appropriate. Relevant occurrences might include: (a) injury or death of persons (whether legitimately on-site or not) associated with a tailings dam; (b) injury or death of fauna (domestic or native) on or near a tailings dam; (c) uncontrolled release of tailings or supernatant water (pipe breaks, overtopping of dam); (d) major unplanned seepage (discernible impact on vegetation, soil contamination, groundwater accession); and (e) defects in the structure of a tailings dam or its surrounds (cracking, slumping or significant erosion of the wall, faults in the decant system). 8.9.4. Lagoons (slurry ponds) 1. Lagoons or slurry ponds represent a form of containment which is typically not man-made but which serves the same functions as tailings dams. They should be treated in a similar manner to tailings dams. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 51 8.10. Tip failure 8.10.1. Hazard description 1. Similar to tailings dams, tips contain the leftover material from the mining process, and often in large quantities. They also resemble a high wall, as a tip of any appreciable size contains a huge amount of potential energy. The unintended release of this energy can have a catastrophic outcome. In the same way as tailings dams, the impact of their failure may extend well beyond the mine site. 8.10.2. Assessment of risk 1. A similar life-cycle risk-management approach to that taken with tailings dams should be adopted with tips. The design, construction, operation and decommissioning phases should be considered. 8.10.3. Control strategies 1. Competent specialist engineering expertise should be assigned to oversee the design, development, operation and decommissioning of a tip at an opencast mine. A competent authority should oversee the entire life cycle of any tip at an opencast mine. 2. Where it is proposed to tip mine discard or refuse of any kind, it should be established that the proposed site is suitable and safe in all respects, taking into account, where relevant, the protection of the population in the vicinity. Consideration should be given to protecting the safety and health of the population both during normal tipping operations and also in the event of a tip failure. Factors to consider in site selection for a mine tip include: (a) mine location and future size; (b) topography (determining the type and shape of the tip); (c) anticipated waste rock volumes; (d) location of property boundaries; (e) existing drainage routes and water sources; (f) future reclamation requirements; (g) the condition of tip foundations; and (h) types of material handling equipment to be used. 3. Tips should be so designed and operated as to ensure the necessary on-site safety and health. Factors to be considered in tip design include: (a) tip configuration (valley fill, hillside wedges, fan and terraced dumps or some combination thereof); (b) need to clear vegetation, soils; (c) existing drainage routes and property boundaries; (d) material swell factor (tip volume needed) and angle of repose (anticipated toe position); 52 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (e) haulage method to be employed (truck, conveyor, rail) and necessary access; (f) tip stability considerations (limits on height or slope); (g) the need for protective berms; (h) topographic and climatic conditions; (i) the need for dump stability monitoring; (j) the effects of tip “failure”; (k) design of dump points (for example, to accommodate trucks with adequate turning space and protective berms); (l) anticipated permeability of the tip and effect on drainage; (m) provision of adequate haul roads if required; and (n) need for lighting at dump points or along haulage routes. 4. An investigation should be conducted of the foundations and an analysis made of possible causes of failure for proposed tips. Operating procedures should be prepared for each tip and should specify a maintenance and inspection schedule and detail the problems and signs of weakness or danger in the vicinity to which attention should be drawn. 8.11. High wall failure (including collapses) 8.11.1. Hazard description 1. A high wall of any appreciable height contains a huge amount of potential energy in the rock mass. The unintended release of this energy while persons are nearby can have a catastrophic outcome. There are basically two modes of high wall failure: (a) rock mass failures involving a relatively large amount of material on a large portion of a high wall. These have their origins in the nature of the material and structures present. There are four types of rock mass failure: (i) planar failures involving a sliding movement along a single discontinuity surface; however, additional discontinuities typically define the lateral extent of the failures; (ii) wedge failures involving a sliding movement along two discontinuity surfaces that intersect at an angle forming a wedge-shaped block in the high wall face; (iii) toppling failures involving buckling or rotational movement around the base of a slab or column formed by steeply dipping discontinuities oriented parallel or subparallel to the high wall face; and (iv) circular failure involving rotational and sliding movement along a failure surface that occurs along numerous discontinuities and often approximates the arc of a circle; and MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 53 (b) rock falls involving a discrete number of individual rocks on a small portion of a high wall, where blocks of rock on a fragmented high wall are susceptible to falling as they are relatively unconfined. Personnel exposure, block weight, drop height and high wall geometry are critical in evaluating rock fall hazards: (a) as the block weight and drop height determine the energy of a falling rock when it strikes; and (b) the geometry of a high wall affects how rocks fall and where they land. 2. Rock mass failure is more likely to lead to a catastrophic outcome. Rock falls can, however, also be very serious, given the energies involved, with fatalities a likely outcome in the absence of effective controls. 8.11.2. Assessment of risk 1. Knowledge of the properties of the mine environment allows for anticipation, and often prediction of hazards, which can then be reduced or eliminated through mine layout and design. The following factors might be taken into account in assessing the risk of high wall failures: (a) geotechnical factors, including: (i) the depth of weathering and potential for unconfined material; (ii) discontinuities, such as jointing or fractures, and their spacing and persistence; (iii) the orientation of discontinuities, including dip, dip direction and strike; (iv) bedding direction relative to a high wall face; (v) the presence of clay material in bedding; (vi) the length of high wall structures, with potential for splitting, and so reducing exposure; (vii) the presence of floor rolls and a dipping seam; (viii) the presence of major dykes, faults or burnt coal; (ix) cracks on high wall or benches near (for example, within 10m) of the crest; (x) the presence of loose rocks or blocks; (xi) the presence of wedges or overhangs; (xii) identified zones of weakness; (xiii) the seepage of water from face bedding or a structure; (xiv) water accumulation at the toe; (xv) water on top of a high wall or benches in proximity to (for example, within 30m) the crest; 54 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (xvi) occurrence of rain or snow events; (xvii) the head of water behind a high wall; (xviii) the presence of spontaneous combustion; and (xix) the integrity of dragline benches; (b) mining factors, including: (i) the height of a high wall; (ii) the slope angle of a high wall in relation to mining direction; (iii) the width of benches; (iv) the presence of spoils on a high wall (near the crest); (v) equipment vibrations; (vi) blasting vibration; (vii) the presence of burrowing animals; and (viii) tree roots. 2. Underground mine workings in close proximity to a high wall, especially those that meet the surface in the high wall face, can cause instability. This is due to pre-existing subsidence damage or the potential for subsidence damage in the overlying rock strata. 8.11.3. Control strategies 1. Competent specialist engineering expertise should be assigned to oversee the design, development, operation and decommissioning of a high wall opencast mine. A competent authority should oversee the entire life cycle of any high wall opencast mine. 2. Pit layout and design drawing on information from such sources as geological field mapping and core drilling. 3. High wall monitoring consists of surveillance of the high wall, either visually or with the aid of instruments. The objectives of monitoring are to: (a) maintain a safe operation; (b) provide advance notice of instability allowing for the timely evacuation of personnel; and (c) provide information on the extent and rate of failure to help identify appropriate remedial measures, modify the mining plan or redesign the slope. 4. Regular and thorough examinations from all possible angles are necessary to identify potentially hazardous areas and developing conditions. Particular attention should be paid to toe and crest areas, since fallen rocks at the toe and cracks behind a high wall crest may be signs of developing stability problems. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 55 5. Ground conditions should be examined: (a) in areas where work is to be performed prior to work commencing; (b) after blasting; and (c) as warranted by ground conditions during a work shift. 6. High walls and banks adjoining travel ways should be examined as often as ground conditions warrant. It should be recognized that visual monitoring of a high wall often has limited value. Visual monitoring is often not sufficiently consistent or quantitative for informed decision-making. Spotter reaction time (considering potential fatigue), as well as means of sounding the alarm, are also critical considerations. 7. Monitoring with instruments can provide quantitative information on minute high wall movements. Monitoring technologies can provide this information constantly in real time. Examples of monitoring technologies include: (a) wireline extensometers; (b) prism surveying; (c) global positioning systems (GPS); (d) laser imaging; and (e) slope scanning radar. 8. Rock stabilization and protection measures might also be employed. Stabilization measures include: (a) reinforcement: (i) rock bolting; (ii) dowelling; (iii) tying back walls; (iv) shotcreting (sprayed concrete); (v) use of buttresses; and (vi) drainage; (b) shot-in-place buttresses; (c) rock removal: (i) re-sloping; (ii) trimming; and (iii) scaling. 56 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 9. Protection measures include: (a) ditches; (b) meshing; (c) catch fences; (d) warning fences; (e) rock sheds; and (f) tunnels. 10. Benches can be used to reduce the distance rocks can fall and catch falling material. Berms can be used effectively to control rock fall hazards. They: (a) create a catch basin to contain falling material; (b) are also an effective barrier to keep personnel out of an area; (c) should be properly sized and located; and (d) should be maintained. 11. Computer modelling can be used to model rock falls to assist in the design of benches and berms. Computer models can be used to design rock fall protection measures through: (a) modelling field conditions; (b) applying random affects; (c) running many simulations; and (d) analysing patterns. 12. Exclusion zones to protect personnel should be declared, signposted and enforced: (a) in problem areas; and (b) between machinery or equipment and the high wall or bank where the machinery or equipment may hinder escape from falls or slides of the high wall or bank. 13. When working is necessary near a high wall, equipment should be positioned so as to afford the operator maximum possible protection from falling material. 14. Unstable high wall conditions in the vicinity of underground mine workings could be remedied through shorter high walls and wider benches to improve the stability of the high wall by reducing overburden load, as well as the amount of material that could become unstable. 15. In cases where an opencast mine is being worked in the vicinity of any active underground workings, there should be consultation between the owners, operators or management of each mine to ensure that appropriate precautionary measures are devised and implemented. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 57 8.12. Inundation or flooding of workings 8.12.1. Hazard description 1. Sources of large volumes of water in close proximity to opencast mine workings present a hazard of rapid inundation or flooding. 8.12.2. Assessment of risk 1. The proximity of porous water-bearing strata, rivers, lakes and seas and potentially flooded underground or opencast mine workings should be considered in the assessment of the risk of inundation of opencast mine workings. In addition, the competence of intervening strata to form an effective barrier pillar should be taken into account, along with potential seismic effects. 2. When water-bearing strata are mined, workings could be flooded if the rate of water ingress overcomes water removal arrangements. 8.12.3. Control strategies 1. Prior to the commencement of excavation, steps should be taken to ensure that a thorough hydrological and hydrogeological assessment is made of the surface and subsurface conditions of the area to be mined and the area which may form a protective barrier pillar. 2. When mining in water-bearing strata or near rivers, lakes and seas and potentially flooded underground or opencast mines, provision should be made for barrier pillars to be left to prevent any breakthrough. Competent specialist engineering expertise should be assigned to oversee the design and ongoing integrity of barrier pillars. A competent authority should oversee the ongoing integrity of barrier pillars. 3. No mining should take place within the boundaries of such pillars unless carefully considered and overseen by the competent authority. Where mining is carried out in areas liable to flooding from any source or because of any circumstance, protective schemes should be designed and implemented. 4. The protective schemes should include, where relevant, the monitoring of barrier pillars and the timely alerting of workers in the event of loss of barrier integrity. 5. In cases where a lowered water table is maintained with the aid of drainage shafts or holes, the following safety measures should be ensured: (a) the installed pump capacity should be such that the maximum daily inflow can be raised sufficiently quickly (for example, in not more than 20 hours); (b) stand-by pumps should be installed with a sufficient capacity (for example, not less than 25 per cent of the total installed capacity); (c) the electrical feed to the pumps should be duplicated, with each feed capable of carrying the maximum load of the installation; (d) stand-by pumps should be so equipped as to start automatically in case of failure of a main pump; 58 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (e) where drainage tunnels need to be driven in water-bearing strata, pilot holes should be carried to a sufficient depth (for example, not less than 5 m); and (f) the sump for the main pumping installation should have a sufficient capacity (for example, not less than four hours of normal water inflow). 6. Sinkholes and surface subsidence occurring as a result of dewatering should be enclosed to prohibit access. 8.13. Dredges and other floating installations 8.13.1. Hazard description 1. For the purpose of this section, the term “dredge” includes any floating vessel used for cutting, pumping, mining or treatment purposes, and other machinery to be used for or in connection with mining by means of dredging. The term does not include a barge, workboat, tender, anchor punt or other boat ancillary to dredging operations. Dredges are, in effect, vessels used under a dynamic loading and unloading situation. The relevant hazards are therefore those of a working vessel in that situation. 8.13.2. Assessment of risk 1. The following hazard categories should be considered in the risk assessment of a dredging facility: (a) buoyancy and stability; (b) access and egress; (c) drowning hazards; (d) machinery hazards; (e) electrical hazards; and (f) fire hazards. 8.13.3. Control strategies 8.13.3.1. Acceptance by the competent authority 1. A dredge, floating treatment plant or other vessel should not be used in mining unless it has received the authorization of the competent authority. The application for authorization or use by the competent authority should be accompanied by: (a) drawings and specifications of the dredge, floating treatment plant or other vessel; (b) buoyancy calculations in respect of the vessel made by a competent person; and (c) the results of all buoyancy tests carried out in respect of the vessel. 2. In giving authorization, the competent authority should specify the approved load line that has been assigned to the dredge or floating treatment plant. The competent authority should not assign to any vessel a load line such that the vessel would have a freeboard of less than MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 59 150 mm. The load line so assigned to a dredge or floating treatment plant should be clearly marked in an approved manner. 8.13.3.2. Personnel 1. No person should act, or be permitted or employed to act, as a winch or cutter operator unless they have been authorized by the employer, who is satisfied as to their competence. 8.13.3.3. Safety precautions on board dredges 1. The hull of a dredge or other vessel used for mining should be kept sound and watertight. The interior of the hull compartments should be kept clean and free of water as far as is reasonably practicable, with the exception of compartments in which the storage of ballast has received the approval of the competent authority, 2. A dredge or floating treatment plant should be provided with: (a) four lifebuoys, two of which should be located in the bow and two towards the stern; (b) suitable lifelines fitted around the vessel at a convenient height; (c) a boat containing a lifeline not less than 15 m in length and a boat-hook, and equipped ready for use with oars and rowlocks or other effective means of propulsion; (d) an adequate number of life vests or other personal flotation devices (PFDs); and (e) notices indicating clearly the location of all life-saving appliances. 3. The life vests or PFDs provided should be worn by all persons when on board or when there is a danger of drowning. Their design should not impede normal activities or compromise safety when they are worn. All life-saving appliances should be maintained in good order and condition and should be kept in a readily accessible location. 4. All workers engaged on or in connection with dredgers should be given training and instruction in life-saving techniques. All dredges should be fitted with the following safety devices: (a) an electric return signalling system between the winch room and the discharge end of the screen; (b) an automatic alarm bell that is designed to sound when the load line assigned to the vessel has been submerged; (c) a pendulum or other device to show the list of the vessel; (d) a means of indicating an obstructed discharge from the dredge or treatment plant; (e) a means of indicating the dredging depth; and (f) in the case of a bucket dredge, an automatic device to ensure immediate stopping of the dredging machinery in the event of an overload of the dredge. 5. Warning notices should be posted in conspicuous places to warn persons of danger from head and side lines. 60 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 6. The head and side lines of a dredge or treatment plant should have free and unobstructed play between the anchors and the dredge or floating treatment plant. All obstacles likely to impede the free play of the head lines should be removed or the head lines elevated over such obstacles. 7. A deflecting sheave, if used between the anchor and the dredge or floating treatment plant, should be securely anchored. Every anchor for a head line or side line of a dredge or floating treatment plant should be of adequate capacity to hold the vessel under all working conditions. 8. No unauthorized person should be allowed to work in the vicinity of the head or side lines while the dredge is operating. No unauthorized person should be permitted to interfere with any machinery, line or other appliance used in a dredging operation. 8.13.4. Miscellaneous protective precautions 1. Hatchways and all other deck openings should be fitted with watertight seals or safeguarded by coamings not less than 400 mm in height. 2. The competent authority may require every open side of the deck of a dredge or floating treatment plant to be provided with guardrails and stanchions suitable to prevent persons falling overboard. The following provisions should apply to all guardrails: (a) stanchions should be secured to the deck and spaced not more than 5 m apart; (b) the guardrails should consist of an upper rail located 1 m above the deck and a lower rail located 250 mm above deck; (c) guardrails should be constructed of suitable timber, scaffold tube, steel wire rope or chain and, in the case of steel wire rope or chain, should be kept taut by means of turn- buckles or other suitable devices; and (d) guardrails should be kept in place except when removed temporarily for access purposes. 3. Where the competent authority directs, a dredge or floating treatment plant working close to a bank should be provided with a gangway not less than 600 mm wide and of sufficient length to reach from the bow to a firm and stable position on the bank, or from the stern to the tailings dump, according to the instructions of the competent authority. The gangway should be provided with a substantial handrail and should be secured to the deck of the dredge or floating treatment plant. 4. Every place where women and men are working should be adequately illuminated during the hours of darkness. 5. The following safety requirements should be observed by all women and men working on a dredge used for mining purposes: (a) every member of a dredge crew when employed in outboard work on the dredge should use safety belts or life jackets; (b) in the event of a person going overboard, the bucket line or cutter and suction equipment should be stopped immediately and the alarm given; and MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 61 (c) no person should step on any bucket, chain or revolving screen while it is in motion, nor ride on them. 6. The employer should appoint a competent person to carry out specific inspections and controls daily before the commencement of operations, namely: (a) soundings of all hull compartments; (b) inspection of the freeboard on the bow, stern, port and starboard; and (c) inspection of the dredging depth or ladder angle, in a bucket dredge where the dredging depth is not recorded automatically. 7. The person who makes the checks should record the results forthwith in a durable manner determined by the employer. 8.13.5. Emergency provisions 1. Immediately after the sounding of any emergency alarm, the winch operator or other person in charge of the dredge or other vessel concerned should: (a) cease digging and take all necessary measures to correct the defect causing the alarm; and (b) not recommence digging until the defect triggering the alarm has been effectively corrected. 2. After the operation of the automatic overload stopping device, digging should not be permitted to recommence until the winch operator has ascertained that the overload has been cleared. 8.13.6. Other matters 1. The maximum number of persons that may be carried at one time in a dredge or other vessel used in connection with dredging or mining operations should be fixed by the competent authority. A prominent notice of this figure should be kept posted on the dredge or other vessel. 2. Warning notices for the public should be posted in a conspicuous position in all cases where head or side lines cross a path or thoroughfare. 3. Every dredge should be provided with suitable toilet accommodation and latrines. 4. All dredges and other floating installations should be provided with firefighting facilities in a quantity to be agreed with the competent authority. 8.14. Surface buildings and structures 8.14.1. Safety of buildings 1. All buildings and structures should comply with the requirements of national building laws, regulations and accepted standards. They should be maintained in safe condition and, 62 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx wherever possible, they should be constructed of fire-resistant material. Where necessary the design should recognize the need to protect against the effects of earthquakes or tremors. 8.14.2. Safe means of access 1. Safe means of access to or egress from every place or building where any person has to pass or work should be provided and maintained in good condition. 8.14.3. Management of falling hazards 1. Hazards associated with a fall by a person from one level to another that is reasonably likely to cause injury to the person concerned or to any other person should be controlled. 2. These hazards include work: (a) in or on an elevated workplace from which a person could fall; (b) in the vicinity of an opening through which a person could fall; (c) in the vicinity of an edge over which a person could fall; or (d) on a surface through which a person could fall. 3. Where any person can fall a hazardous distance or any distance which may be specified in national laws, secure footholds, handholds and fences should be provided as necessary to control that hazard. Where these provisions are not practicable, safety harnesses, or other fall-arrest devices should be provided and used. 8.14.4. Provision of emergency lighting 1. Stand-by emergency lighting should be provided for use in the event of a failure of the power supply: (a) at the medical or first-aid room and, where appropriate, the rescue station; (b) at changing rooms and wash houses; (c) in crusher houses and treatment plants where stairways, walkways or ladders are normally used by operating personnel; (d) at all emergency escape ways; and (e) at all places where a reduction or failure of artificial illumination is likely to result in enhanced risk to the workers employed there. 2. The competent authority may grant exemption or relief from the provisions of this section if workers are not present during the hours of darkness or where individual lamps are provided. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 63 8.15. Machinery and plant 8.15.1. General provisions 1. All machines can be the source of diverse hazards and great attention should be paid to their design, manufacturing, planned use, maintenance and disposal. 2. To ensure that machines are safe, key decisions have to be taken already at the concept/design and manufacturing stages. This code does not cover these decisions, as the steps to be taken by designers and manufacturers of machines are not undertaken at opencast mines. It is, however, recommended that the guidance in the ILO code of practice Safety and health in the use of machinery (Geneva, 2013) (the “Machinery code”) should be followed by designers and manufacturers of machines for opencast mines, as well as considered by employers, when choosing machinery. 8.15.2. Assessment of risk 1. In ensuring safety in the use of machinery by reducing the associated risks, risk assessments should be conducted at various levels. Risk assessment should be completed by employers to ensure that the machinery is safe and to provide a safe system of work, and workers should be consulted to secure their views and experiences, and should actively participate in risk- assessment procedures. 2. Safety and health risks can be assessed in five steps as follows: (a) collecting the appropriate information and determining the limits of the machinery, such as use, speed, time, environmental and interface limits; (b) identifying and documenting the hazards associated with the tasks to be performed for the use and maintenance of machinery in the workplace; (c) assessing risks arising out of hazards by estimating the likelihood and severity of consequences and deciding whether the risks are adequately controlled; (d) planning actions to eliminate or reduce risk; and (e) documenting risk-assessment results. 3. Risk assessments to ensure safety in the use of machinery should cover the following aspects: (a) adequacy of initial machinery design; (b) correct selection of machinery; (c) adequacy of machinery installation; (d) correct use; (e) adequate maintenance; (f) management of changes in personnel, materials and work methods; and (g) equipment and process modifications. 64 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 4. Employers should consider the women and men workers affected when identifying tasks and hazards. These may include: operators and helpers; maintenance individuals; engineers; technicians; sales personnel; installation and removal personnel; administrative personnel; trainees; passers-by; designers; managers; supervisors; safety personnel; safety committees; safety consultants; and loss control administrators. In addition, employers should determine the level of knowledge, training, experience and ability of such persons. 5. In assessing the risks, employers should consider typical categories of hazards and hazardous situations, such as: (1) mechanical; (2) electrical; (3) thermal (4) noise; (5) vibration; (6) radiation; (7) materials and substances; (8) ergonomic; (9) unexpected start-up, overrun and overspeed; (10) inadequate stopping; (11) rotating parts; (12) power supply failure; (13) control circuit failure; (14) errors of fitting; (15) break-up during operation; (16) falling or ejected objects or fluids; (17) loss of stability and overturning of machinery; (18) slipping, tripping and falling; and (19) combinations of the above. Further information on these hazards and respective control measures are found in sections 3 to 17 of the Machinery code. 8.15.3. Control strategies 1. In addition to the general provisions outlining control strategies in the Machinery code, section 8 of that code outlines supplementary measures relating to specific machinery types. Section 8.4. Dealing with machinery presenting hazards due to its mobility (such as vehicles, earth-moving machinery, excavators) is of particular relevance to users of the present code. As the Machinery code does not comprise a similar section on boilers, Appendix II of the present code provides such information. It should be read in conjunction with the Machinery code. 8.16. Automated machinery 8.16.1. Hazard description 1. A common rationale for introducing automated machinery includes improving safety by the removal of the human element, thereby reducing the exposure of workers to hazards. As new technologies change the risk profile of mining operations, the risks introduced by automated machinery need to be assessed in great detail and the respective control measures taken. 2. In opencast mines, automated machinery can currently include: (a) facilities to load trains; (b) mobile crushing and screening plants; (c) excavators and shovels; (d) loaders; (e) dozers; (f) haul trucks; (g) drill rigs; and (h) light vehicles. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 65 3. Hazards with automated machinery are likely to arise: (a) if the machinery strays outside its planned operating envelope; (b) if personnel stray into the operating envelope of automated machinery; and (c) when personnel are in close proximity to automated machinery for maintenance or repair purposes. 8.16.2. Assessment of risk 1. The employer should conduct a comprehensive mine-site risk assessment prior to the introduction of automatic machinery, which should take the following aspects into consideration: (a) adequacy of initial machinery design (including its functional design and machinery safety and security); (b) correct selection of machinery in view of the mine design and existing limits of machine capabilities; (c) adequacy of machinery installation, including detailed management of interactions and interfaces between automatic and manual machinery; (d) planning for automatic operation, setting up specific operational practices for correct use and for necessary support logistics; (e) adequate maintenance, including repair facilities and practices; (f) managing changes in personnel, materials and work methods, including rules on how to revert to manual operation, if required; and (g) equipment and process modifications. 8.16.3. Control strategies 1. The automation of large mining machinery, catering for its interactions with the working environment and other machinery, and the development of appropriate support expertise, are challenging tasks. The introduction of new technologies therefore has the potential to disrupt work organization and shift responsibilities. 2. Competent specialists with the required skills should be available at each mine to oversee the deployment of machines and the implementation of all related control strategies. 3. All machines should be: (a) compliant with accepted standards (including in relation to the functional safety of critical systems); (b) provided with layers of protection and redundancy built into safety systems (for example, collision avoidance); (c) designed to prevent unauthorized (or unintended) modification of operating parameters; 66 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (d) designed to use fail-to-safety and safe machine degradation approaches; (e) designed to ensure the integrity of control to machine communications; and (f) equipped with required licences (for example, for communications networks). 4. All control strategies should take into account specific capabilities and limits of each machine in relation to, for example: (a) functioning under harsh operating conditions (for example, heat, dust, vibration); (b) operating gradients and surfaces; and (c) turning radiuses. 5. The interactions between automatic and operated machinery should be devised in a way that: (a) minimizes interaction between personnel and non-automatic machines (for example, through separation of automatic machines from personnel and manned machines; separate park and work areas; access controls to and from automated machine operating areas); and (b) minimizes their potential for interaction with explosives and processing facilities. 6. Operational and management practices should be established in relation to: (a) traffic management (including road design, intersections, park-up areas, loading and dumping locations and speed limits); (b) review and sign-off processes for system changes to ensure strict control of system changes (for example, software or firmware); (c) ensuring that machines are provided with a valid mine model that reflects the most recent changes; and (d) commissioning, maintenance and repair, including in relation to: (i) conduct of safety system and machine performance tests; (ii) formal commissioning and hand-over processes; (iii) controls for in-situ inspection and servicing; (iv) safe recovery procedures in case of breakdown; (v) effective isolation of servicing or recovery areas; and (vi) safe procedures for reversion to manual operation, if required. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 67 8.16.4. Tyre and rim safety 8.16.4.1. Hazard description 1. Off-road tyres used on much opencast mining machinery are potentially hazardous because of: (a) their large size and mass; (b) the magnitude of air or gas pressures they contain; and (c) the presence of combustible materials along with a source of ignition in case of a tyre fire (with potential for explosion). 2. The uncontrolled release of the mechanical, pressure or chemical energy inherent in tyre assemblies can have serious, even fatal, consequences. 3. The hazards associated with tyres include: (a) those related to handling and working with tyres, wheels and rims; (b) tyre fires, bursts and explosions when tyres are in service; and (c) loss of control of a vehicle due to tyre failure. 4. Caution: an overheated large tyre should be regarded as a “ticking bomb”. An explosion in a large tyre can propel debris hundreds of metres and is potentially lethal to any workers in the vicinity, including persons in vehicles. In addition, tyre fires are difficult to extinguish and produce large volumes of toxic fumes. 8.16.4.2. Risk assessment 1. Effective tyre management needs to consider the life cycle, selection, operation, maintenance and disposal of tyres, rims and wheel assemblies. A strategy that spans the whole life cycle needs to involve the employer, suppliers and manufacturers, maintenance workers and OSH experts. 2. A risk-based approach to tyre safety might consider: (a) information on tyre and rim failures (for example, circulars from a competent authority or other industry information); (b) records of tyre use and failure at the mine; (c) the influence of mine operations on tyre life and safety; (d) the sudden release of stored pressurized energy, leading to projectiles (for example, rim components or rocks) and percussive shock; (e) the use of compressed air or other gases (for example, nitrogen) with pressure hazards and, in the case of nitrogen, asphyxiation and cryogenic hazards; (f) noise from, for example, the rapid release of compressed gases, working with pneumatically powered tools and general workshop noise; (g) the handling of heavy objects, for example, tyre assemblies weighing many tons; 68 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (h) working with or operating heavy equipment such as cranes, forklifts or mobile plant fitted with hydraulic tyre handling attachments; (i) low-inflation pressure damages a tyre in a number of ways, including: (i) heat separation caused by over work; (ii) irregular wear of the tread caused by excessive tread movement; (iii) separation caused by excessive sidewall distortion; (iv) friction and chafing caused by distortion of the bead area or slipping of the bead; and (v) separation of plies due to high stress between plies; and (j) heating of any part of a tyre assembly, wheel end or hub can compromise the integrity of the tyre, and in extreme cases result in bursting or explosion (due to pyrolysis of the tyre material, or decomposition of inappropriate lubricant or wooden debris left inside a tyre). 3. Sources of tyre heating that could result in an explosion include: (a) heating of frozen wheel fasteners; (b) welding or grinding of wheel components; (c) contact with high-voltage electrical conductors (for example, overhead power lines); (d) a lightning strike; and (e) external fires (for example, engine bay fires, hydraulic fires, electric fires, or grass fires in parking areas) 4. As tyre degradation may not be detectable, it can lead to auto-ignition without warning. Moreover, some fuels, solvents and other hydrocarbons may react with tyre rubber and increase the risk of fire. 5. The use of thermal imaging or remote tyre pressure monitoring (for example tyre pressure/temperature monitoring systems) avoids the need for personnel to enter the danger zone of a suspected overheated tyre to conduct an initial assessment. 8.16.4.3. Control strategies 1. Control strategies to be considered include: (a) assessing and preparing appropriate storage and work areas; (b) selecting and implementing tyre-handling facilities, including plant, tools, equipment, and safe work systems; (c) monitoring and implementing component inspection, maintenance and repair (for example, non-destructive testing of wheels and rims); (d) appropriately assessing and selecting tyres, wheels or rims; (e) maintaining accurate record-keeping of tyre service; MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 69 (f) understanding the mechanisms of tyre fires and explosions; (g) minimizing the risk of tyre explosions, by considering: (i) replacing compressed air with nitrogen gas for inflation, provided the correct nitrogen inflation procedure is used so that the tyre is sufficiently purged of air; (ii) ensuring overhead power lines crossing haul roads have adequate clearance and warning signs; (iii) providing lightning notifications to reduce the potential exposure of vehicles to lightning strikes; (iv) avoiding the use of petroleum-based products on or near tyres; (v) operating tyres within the manufacturer’s specifications; and (vi) not using a lubricant to assist with assembling tyres and rims unless it has been clearly identified by the manufacturer as being safe to use for that purpose; (h) parking up trucks that have or are suspected to have overheated tyres in a safe place well away from other equipment and workers, and allowing tyres to cool down slowly over at least 24 hours before any inspection or replacement of the tyre is attempted; (i) providing appropriate emergency response capability; and (j) ensuring that people are competent for the tasks they are assigned. 2. Competent, specialist expertise should be assigned to oversee the selection, operation, maintenance and disposal of tyres, rims and wheel assemblies at opencast mines. 8.16.5. Fires on large machinery 8.16.5.1. Hazard description 1. The opencast mining industry is characterized by the use of large diesel or diesel/electric powered machinery (for example, haul trucks, dozers, or excavators). There is typically enormous potential for fire to occur on these machines with an ample supply of fuel, in the form of diesel, and myriad potential sources of ignition. As well as rapidly engulfing an entire machine, a serious fire can put the machine operator at extreme risk. 8.16.5.2. Assessment of risk 1. Each type of large mobile machinery in use, or to be used, at an opencast mine should be the subject of risk assessment focused on potential fuel and ignition sources as precursors to a fire. In addition, the risk assessment should consider the hazards to which a machine operator may be exposed in the case of fire. 8.16.5.3. Control strategies 1. Control strategies which might be considered include: (a) fitting of fire detection and suppression systems; (b) fitting of handheld fire extinguishers readily available to the machine operator; 70 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (c) machine operator protection and rapid and safe means of egress; (d) the use of metallic fuel tanks and steel braided fuel lines in preference to plastic; (e) routing of fuel lines away from high risk/temperature areas and sources; (f) segregation of fuel lines from damage and potential fire risks; (g) separation of fuel lines and electrical cables; (h) adequate protection and support of components to mitigate vibration damage; (i) shrouding of hot parts; (j) shielding of vulnerable parts; (k) removal of undesirable exposed materials (for example, cladding or inappropriate insulation); (l) control of foreign material (for example, rags, debris, oil spills, dust accumulation, food wrappers or drink cans); (m) use only of fit-for-purpose machines; (n) appropriate operational demands on machinery (for example, operating conditions, loads or grades); (o) timely rectification of leaks (for example, hydraulic and lubricating oil or fuel); (p) timely rectification of electrical faults; and (q) adequate machine maintenance generally. 8.17. Electrical equipment 8.17.1. General provisions 1. Electrical equipment should only be installed in a manner consistent with national laws or accepted standards. Sufficient numbers of competent persons should be assigned to develop, implement and maintain all electrical equipment in conformity with those requirements or standards. Such persons should be competent to a level commensurate with any qualification requirements of a competent authority. 2. Small, under-resourced mines might consider pooling their resources with other mines, or making other appropriate arrangements to enable them to comply with the relevant requirements. 3. An electrical control plan respecting all the electrical equipment at the mine of whatever description or purpose should be prepared and implemented. The electrical control plan should cover: (a) the examination and testing of all electrical equipment before use, after installation, reinstallation or repair; MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 71 (b) the systematic examination and testing of all electrical equipment at the mine to ensure its proper maintenance; (c) the intervals, which may differ for different equipment and parts of equipment, within which all electrical equipment should be examined and tested; (d) the nature of the examination and testing to be carried out; and (e) the manner in which the results of every examination and test made pursuant to the control plan are to be durably recorded. 4. No one, except a competent person or persons acting under their close personal supervision, should undertake any electrical work where technical knowledge or experience is required. 5. Notices should be posted at prominent positions around the mine: (a) prohibiting any unauthorized person from handling or interfering with electrical equipment; and (b) setting out directions as to the rescue and first aid of persons suffering from electric shocks or burns. 8.17.2. Insulation 1. All power wires and cables should be adequately insulated where they pass into or out of electrical compartments. Cables should enter metal frames of motors, splice boxes and electrical compartments only through proper fittings. When insulated wires, other than cables, pass through metal frames, the holes should be substantially bushed with insulated bushings. 2. Communication conductors for telephone and low potential signalling systems should be protected by isolation or suitable insulation, or both, from contacting energized power conductors or any other power source. 3. High-voltage electrical conductors should be covered, insulated or so placed as to prevent contact with low-voltage conductors. The voltage on bare signal wires accessible to contact by persons should not exceed a safe voltage (for example, 48V). In the selection of insulating material, consideration should be given to the conditions under which the conductors will be used. 8.17.3. Control devices 1. All electrical equipment and circuits should be provided with properly designed switchgear to facilitate control and, when necessary, isolation. Principal power switches and terminals should be labelled to show which units they control. 2. Where a motor is operated by means of remote control and is stopped from any point, the circuit should be so arranged that the motor cannot be started again except at the place from which it was stopped. 8.17.4. Distribution boxes 1. Distribution boxes should be provided with a disconnecting device for each branch circuit. Such disconnecting devices should be equipped or designed in such a manner that it can be 72 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx determined visually when the device is open and the circuit de-energized. Distribution boxes should be labelled to show which circuit each device controls. 2. Inspection and cover plates on electrical equipment and junction boxes should be kept in place at all times, except during testing or repair. 8.17.5. Earthing systems 1. All earthing conductors should be electrically continuous throughout, and in effective electrical connection with earth and with the equipment they are intended to earth. Individual earthing conductors should be connected in parallel and it should be strictly forbidden to connect them in series. 2. All metal enclosing or encasing of electrical circuits should be earthed or provided with equivalent protection. This requirement does not apply to battery-operated equipment. 3. Frame earthing or equivalent protection should be provided for mobile equipment powered through trailing cables. Metal fencing and metal buildings enclosing electrical apparatus should be earthed. 4. A specific requirement should be established within the scheme of maintenance for verifying resistance and continuity of earth leads and establishing that the maximum resistance specified in national laws or accepted standards is not exceeded. 8.17.6. Overload and earth leakage protection 1. The current in all systems should be so controlled that when, in any circuit, the current exceeds a specified value, it is automatically cut off. Fuse links of all fuses should be calibrated by the manufacturer and the rated current should be indicated. 2. The use of unmarked or uncalibrated fuses should be prohibited. 3. The conditions under which automatic earth leakage current protection is required together with the current levels at which the protection should operate should be defined and applied (for example, each circuit supplying portable electrically operated handheld equipment should operate at no more than 250V and have earth leakage current protection of no more than 30mA sensitivity). 8.17.7. Transformers 1. Transformers should be suitably housed and where necessary fenced. Transformer enclosures, where provided, should be kept locked against unauthorized entry. 2. Any transformer, installed for the first time, should not contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or other materials likely to release toxic gases when ignited. In-service transformers containing these materials should be removed from service and disposed of responsibly as soon as practicable. 8.17.8. Conductors 1. Conductors, and the conditions under which they are used, should be in accordance with national laws and accepted standards. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 73 2. All overhead power lines should be constructed and maintained in accordance with national laws and accepted standards. 3. Temporary overhead power lines in opencast mines should conform to the following requirements: (a) a table of distances of the lowest phase wire of a power line to the ground should be prepared; (b) no piles of rock, ore, sleepers, rails or other materials should be made below overhead power lines; and (c) no excavator or other machine with extensible or lifting arms should be used under or near power lines unless the lifting or extending part of the machine does not approach nearer than a safe distance from the power lines (for example 1 m for lines up to 1 kV, 3 metres for lines up to 33 kV, 6 m for lines up to 132 kV, or 7 m for lines up to 400 kV. Where the rating is unknown, the distance should be no nearer than 6 m). 4. Any work in the vicinity of overhead power lines should be the subject of a risk assessment prior to commencement. 5. Trailing cables should be attached to machines in a suitable manner to protect the cable from damage and to prevent strain on the electrical connections. Surplus trailing cable on excavators, cranes and similar equipment should be: (a) stored in cable boats; (b) stored on reels mounted on the equipment; and (c) otherwise protected from mechanical damage. 6. While it should be avoided, workers who have to manually handle trailing cables in the course of their duties should be provided with the necessary equipment, such as insulated hooks, tongs, gloves and aprons for this purpose. Trailing cables feeding mobile machinery should be so laid as to avoid their being damaged, run over, or freezing to the ground. In inundated areas, cables should be laid on supports. 7. A cable that has been mechanically damaged should be taken out of service as soon as possible. Notwithstanding this provision, a damaged cable may remain temporarily in use only if it is examined by a person with appropriate electrical expertise and rendered safe. Any cable requiring repair should be disconnected from the feed point and any residual electrical charges should be discharged. All overhead and cable power lines located within the danger zone during blasting operations should be de-energized during the blast, and should be inspected before being re-energized. 8. Electric power lines should not be worked on during thunderstorms. 9. Permanent splices and repairs made in power cables, including the earth conductor where provided, should be: (a) mechanically sound and with electrical conductivity which is not significantly less than that of the original; (b) insulated to a degree at least equal to that of the original, and sealed to exclude moisture; and 74 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (c) provided with damage protection as near as possible to that of the original, including good bonding to the outer jacket. 10. Power cables energized to potentials in excess of 150V, phase-to-earth, should not be moved by equipment unless sleds or slings insulated from such equipment are used. When such energized cables are moved manually, insulated hooks, tongs, ropes or slings should be used unless suitable protection for persons is provided by other means. This does not prohibit the pulling or dragging of a cable by the equipment it powers when the cable is physically attached to the equipment by suitable mechanical devices, and the cable is suitably insulated from the equipment. 8.17.9. Switchboards and switchgear 1. Switchboards and switchgear should be so installed, located and guarded that: (a) the control means are safely and readily accessible to authorized persons; (b) live parts are inaccessible to unauthorized persons; (c) adequate working space is provided for manual operation where required, including at the back of any switchboard having exposed live parts lower than 2.5 m from the ground; a clear space of not less than 1 m is provided between the top of the equipment and any ceiling having exposed combustible material; (d) adequate illumination is provided; (e) interrupting capacity adequate to handle the short circuit current of the system is incorporated; (f) access by unauthorized persons is prohibited and a notice to this effect posted at the entrance; and (g) a notice is posted describing the procedure for first aid in case of electric shock. 8.17.10. Protection of portable, transportable and mobile machines 1. Transportable and mobile machines and their associated trailing cables operating above extra low voltage (normally <= 50V AC (rms) and <= 120V DC (ripple free) should be protected by automatic earth leakage devices and by automatic earth continuity devices capable of cutting off the voltage in the event of a break in the earth conductor of the cable between the supply or control box and the machine. 2. In the case of earth leakage devices and related equipment, national laws should specify: (a) the leakage current at which the equipment should be set to operate; (b) the operating time of the equipment; and (c) in the case of any portable machine or equipment and its associated trailing cable operating at a voltage above extra low voltage, the value in milliamps at which an instantaneous-type earth leakage tripping device should be set to operate. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 75 3. Portable electrical equipment and flexible cables should be protected by automatic continuity protection, capable of cutting off the voltage in the event of a break in the earth conductor of the cable between the supply or control box and the machine. 4. Any device limiting the fault current should have a time rating which is certified as being manufactured to an approved standard. 8.17.11. Miscellaneous safety procedures 1. Mobile equipment should not run over power conductors, nor should loads be dragged over power conductors, unless the conductors are properly bridged or otherwise protected. 2. Power circuits should be de-energized before work is done on such circuits unless hot-line tools are used. Suitable warning signs should be posted by the women and men doing the work. Switches should be locked out or, where not possible, other measures taken to prevent the power circuits from being energized without the knowledge of the persons working on them. Such locks, signs or preventive devices should be removed only by the person who installed them or by authorized persons. 3. Electrically powered equipment should be de-energized before mechanical work is done on such equipment. Power switches should be locked out or, where not possible, other measures taken to prevent the equipment from being energized without the knowledge of the women and men working on it. Suitable warning notices should be posted at the power switch and signed by the persons who are to do the work. Such locks, notices or preventive devices should be removed only by the persons who installed them or by authorized persons. 4. If equipment, other than a trolley locomotive, has to be moved or operated near energized high voltage power lines where the clearance is less than 3 m, the lines should be de- energized or other precautionary measures taken. 5. When a potentially dangerous condition is found, it should be corrected before equipment or wiring is energized. 6. Suitable danger signs should be posted at all major electrical installations. 8.18. Transport and material handling 8.18.1. Mobile equipment 1. This section of the code is concerned with two types of equipment: (a) all rubber-tyred or tracked, self-propelled mobile equipment used in or about an opencast mine for hauling, transporting, personnel carrying, lifting, hoisting, scraping and similar operations, and having a gross vehicle mass (GVM) in excess of 1,000 kg (heavy equipment); and (b) vehicles whose GVM is below 1,000 kg, including jeeps, vans, four-wheel drive vehicles and the like (light vehicles). 2. All mobile equipment should be equipped with appropriate falling object protective structures (FOPS), roll over protective structures (ROPS) and devices to protect an operator from falling or being propelled from the equipment. 76 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 3. Tests may be prescribed by the competent authority to assist safe operation of the equipment and devices concerned. 4. All self-propelled mobile equipment should be provided with adequate braking systems, capable of effectively stopping and holding the vehicle stationary when fully loaded, under any conditions of operation when driven correctly. 5. No mobile equipment should be left unattended unless: (a) the controls are in the neutral position and the parking brakes fully applied; (b) if it is a tracked and wheeled vehicle parked on a grade, that it is blocked or turned into a rib or bank; (c) the movable parts of equipment such as dippers, buckets, scraper blades are secured or lowered to the ground when not in use; and (d) the master switch of electrically powered mobile equipment is in the off position, all operating controls are in the neutral position, and the brakes are set or other equivalent precautions are taken against rolling. 6. When a vehicle is in motion between work areas, the movable parts of the equipment should be secured in the travel position. 7. Tipping body props or other devices should be provided and these should be capable of preventing a skip collapsing, and their mode of operation should be independent of the tipping mechanism. 8. The engine exhaust gases from mobile equipment operated by an internal combustion engine should be discharged at a point remote from the operator’s position and from any air- conditioning intake where fitted. 8.18.2. Ergonomics 1. Particular attention should be given to cab design including: (a) access to the cab – safe entry and exit for the operator and emergency egress; (b) cab space – sufficient for all operators, especially when using seat adjustments; (c) operator seating – appropriate for the vehicle with adjustment to accommodate different sized users; (d) machine controls, such as location, layout, type, design and direction of movement of all control devices; (e) location and design of emergency stops; (f) location, design (fit-for-purpose) and quality of displayed information, including warnings; (g) vision and visibility from the cab; (h) protection against environmental hazards, including inclement weather, heat, cold, noise, vibration and airborne dust; and MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 77 (i) accessibility for routine service checks, regular maintenance and breakdown maintenance. 2. All motor vehicles should be equipped with effective and fit-for-purpose: (a) headlights, tail lights and clearance lights; (b) windscreen washers and wipers; (c) audible warning systems, which should be sounded whenever the driver wishes to move the vehicle without having clear vision immediately in front and behind; and (d) where needed: an effective and fit-for-purpose proximity detection system. 8.18.3. Construction and safety 1. The operator’s cab of any vehicle used for rock haulage should be so constructed or reinforced as to resist damage by spillage. 2. The operator’s cab should not be additionally equipped, altered or otherwise modified in a manner which impairs operating visibility or impairs the safety characteristics of the construction. 3. Cab windows should be of safety glass or equivalent, in good condition and should be kept clean. Access for cleaning should be safe and easy. Cabs of mobile equipment should be kept free of extraneous materials including equipment and fittings that might impede access to controls or the visibility of critical information either inside or outside the cab. 4. Fire extinguishers of an appropriate type and capacity should be installed on all mobile equipment, but should not intrude into the operator’s workspace, block vision or cause obstruction, especially for emergency exiting of the machine. 5. A person should not operate, or be permitted to drive, mobile equipment at an opencast mine unless: (a) they hold a current licence for that type of equipment issued by a competent authority; or (b) they have satisfied competence criteria established at the mine to operate that type of equipment; or both. 6. No person should mount or enter any haulage machine being operated and capable of movement unless they have attracted the operator’s attention prior to doing so. 7. Where loads are carried which project beyond the sides of vehicles, or by more than 2 m beyond the rear of the vehicles, there should be attached at the end of the projection: (a) a warning light during the hours of darkness or in limited visibility; and (b) a clearly visible warning flag of suitable size in daylight conditions. 8. Where overhead clearance is restricted, warning devices should be installed and the restricted area should be conspicuously marked. 78 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 9. Where the regular transport of persons is required, buses or other specially fitted vehicles should be used, equipped with seating and safe means of entry and exit. 10. The transport of persons should be prohibited: (a) in or on mobile equipment, loaded or unloaded, unless special arrangements have been made for their safety, and such transport is authorized by the employer; (b) outside the cabs and beds of mobile equipment; and (c) in vehicles equipped with unloading devices, unless means have been provided to prevent accidental operation of the unloading mechanism. 11. All ramps and dumping facilities should: (a) be of substantial construction; and (b) have suitable width to accommodate the equipment using the facilities. 12. Berms, bumper blocks, safety hooks or similar means should be provided and maintained as required to prevent overtravel and overturning at all tipping and dumping locations. 13. Chute loading installations should be so designed and installed that the women and men operating them are not required to be in a hazardous position while at work. Any attempt to free a blockage in a chute should only be made by a competent person who fully understands the hazards involved. 14. All grizzlies, grates and similar stationary sizing devices should be securely mounted and anchored. Persons required to work on a grizzly while breaking rocks should be provided with and should wear a securely anchored safety belt. 15. Mobile equipment used in dumping and tipping operations should be provided with an automatic reverse signal alarm which is audible above the surrounding noise level, or should have an observer to enable reversing to be carried out in safety. 8.18.4. Rail transport hazards 1. A set of plans should be prepared showing every part of a proposed rail system whose primary use will be for the transport of ore. A copy of the plans should be securely kept at the mine. 2. Railway operating procedures, including signals and signal codes and inspection and maintenance procedures to apply to all railway operations, should be prepared. No change should be made to these rules except in the case of an unforeseen occurrence, mishap or defect. 3. Every person employed on a railway operation on an opencast mine should be provided with a copy of the operating rules, signals and signal codes applicable to that mine. Before any person is employed as a train controller, locomotive driver, member of a train crew or driver of any rail track vehicle, they should satisfy the employer that they are fully conversant with the relevant operating rules, signals and signal codes and are competent to discharge their duties. 4. No person should be permitted to take or have charge of a locomotive on a mine railway unless they have demonstrated competence to do so (for example, by holding a locomotive MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 79 driver’s certificate issued by a competent authority). A person undergoing instruction may operate a locomotive under the supervision of a certified locomotive driver. 5. Road-beds, rails, joints, switches, frogs and other elements of every rail track, as well as bridges, culverts and other structures supporting it should be designed, installed and maintained in a safe manner consistent with the speed and type of haulage. 6. Locomotives, rolling stock, tracks and all other equipment used in the operation of a railway system should be maintained in a safe condition and should be subject to regular inspection at intervals to be laid down in operating rules. 7. Every train should be equipped with an effective braking system. Every locomotive, railcar, truck, wagon or other rail track vehicle should be provided with effective brakes which should be capable of being operated individually by hand and by the train braking system when forming part of a train. 8. There is no requirement to provide brakes for each vehicle if a single vehicle is attached to the end of a train, or if a single vehicle is towed by a self-propelled vehicle, the brakes of which are adequate for the task. 9. A train should not be left unattended unless brakes of sufficient strength to hold the whole train stationary have been applied. No railcar, truck, wagon or other rail track vehicle should be left detached from a train unless its brakes are applied or unless it is otherwise secured to prevent a runaway. 10. Positive-acting stop blocks, derail devices or other adequate means should be installed wherever necessary to protect persons from runaway or moving railroad equipment. 11. Every locomotive should be equipped with the following devices and systems, which should be maintained in good working order: (a) effective headlights and rear lights; (b) at least two braking systems (handbrakes and pneumatic or electric); (c) a whistle or siren capable of giving clear and distinct warnings and signals; (d) sanding devices; (e) speedometers; (f) adequate fire extinguishers; and (g) first-aid equipment. 12. Only authorized persons should be permitted to ride on trains or locomotives and then only in positions of safety. In cases of accident or emergency, the employer may authorize the carriage of persons. Persons should not attempt to mount or dismount from moving equipment unless national legislation specifically permits it. 13. All loads should be securely attached to the rail vehicles. 14. Rocker-bottom and bottom-dump railcars should be equipped with locking devices. 15. Cars should not be coupled or uncoupled manually, unless the driver and the shunter are within clear view of each other, or they have some effective means of signalling to each 80 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx other, or the cars are so designed and equipped as to minimize any hazard while performing this operation. 16. A driver who has not clearly recognized a signal given by the “brakeman” when the train is under the direction of the latter should assume it to be a stop signal. 17. No person should pass over, under or between cars unless the train is stationary and the driver has been informed and has clearly understood what is being done. 18. Railcars should not be left on side tracks unless ample clearance is provided for traffic on adjacent tracks. A locomotive on one track should not be used to move equipment on a different track unless a suitable system has been devised to do so safely. Where necessary, bumper blocks, buffers or the equivalent should be provided at track dead ends. Track guardrails, lead rails, frogs and guide rails should be protected or blocked so as to prevent a person’s foot from becoming wedged. 19. Public and permanent railroad crossings should be posted with warning signs or signals, or should be guarded when trains are passing and should be planked or otherwise filled in between the rails. If repairs are being carried out adjacent to rail tracks, special rules should be drawn up and implemented to provide for the safety of personnel and the safe movement of trains. 8.18.5. Aerial ropeways 1. The buckets of aerial ropeways should not be overloaded, and the feed should be regulated to prevent spillage. 2. Positive-action-type brakes – or devices which apply the brakes automatically in the event of a power failure – should be provided on all aerial ropeways. 3. Track cable connections should not obstruct the passage of carriage wheels. 4. All towers should be suitably protected from swaying buckets. Guard nets or other suitable protection should be provided where aerial ropeways pass over roadways, walkways or buildings. Persons should only be permitted to ride on aerial ropeways in accordance with the transport rules of the mine, which should forbid riding on loaded buckets. Whenever possible, operators should ascertain that all persons are clear before starting an aerial ropeway system and should give clear, audible warning of any impending start. 5. Persons other than maintenance personnel should not ride aerial ropeways unless the following features are provided: (a) two independent brakes, each capable of holding the maximum load; (b) direct communication between terminals; (c) power drives with emergency power available in case of primary power failure; and (d) buckets equipped with positive locks to prevent accidental tripping or dumping. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 81 8.18.6. Conveyors 1. No conveyor should be operated unless it is provided with a system for stopping the belt from any point along its length. 2. Footbridges with handrails or rope bridges should be provided at intervals not exceeding 500 m in the case of combined excavator and belt transfer systems. 3. If the entire length of a conveyor is visible from the starting switch, the operator should visually check to make certain that all persons are clear of the conveyor before starting it. A positive audible or visual warning system should be installed and operated to warn persons that the conveyor is about to be started. 4. A conveyor belt should be provided with a device permitting any person, from any point along its length, to stop the belt and prevent it from being restarted. 5. No person should ride on a conveyor belt. No person should clean underneath a moving conveyor, nor any part of a moving conveyor, unless adequate protective guards are in place. Moving conveyors should not be crossed except at designated safe points designed for that purpose. 6. All head, tail and tension pulleys of a conveyor should have their nip points adequately guarded (for example, for a distance of at least 1 m). 8.18.7. Conveyor bridges and overburden spreaders 1. Structural members of conveyor bridges, overburden spreaders and excavating machines, together with all ladders and platforms thereon, should be cleaned off before the commencement of every shift. 2. All automatic control, tele-automatic and remote control systems should be provided with interlocking devices to interrupt the power supply in case of defective operation. 3. Conveyor bridges and overburden spreaders should be equipped with instruments for automatic continuous measurements of wind velocity and direction, interlocked with an emergency signalling system and a system of undercarriage control of overburden spreaders, as well as with control and measuring instruments, limit switches, signalling and intercommunication devices. In addition to automatic brakes, the bridge undercarriages should be equipped with intact handbrakes. No machine should be operated unless the abovementioned instruments, switches and devices are in good working order. 4. During repairs to a conveyor bridge, the simultaneous disassembly of the automatic brakes and the handbrakes should be prohibited. 5. Any counterweight located close to a road or travelling way should be effectively guarded. Conveyor lines on conveyor bridges and overburden spreaders should be provided with servicing platforms guarded on both sides. No passageway along a conveyor should be less than 700 mm in width. 6. During inclement weather, thunderstorms, snowstorms, heavy rain or fog, when the visibility is less than 25 m, the passage of persons or work on a conveyor bridge should be suspended. 7. No conveyor bridge should be permitted to approach a structure or any mining and transport equipment to within a distance of less than 1 m or to operate in a position above other 82 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx operating mining and transport equipment. Conveyor bridge railway tracks should not be used when they are under water. 8. When an overburden spreader of the walking or railway-walking type is in motion, no persons, nor transport vehicles, machines or other equipment should be permitted to pass under the dumping cantilever of a conveyor bridge. 9. The vertical distance between the end of a dumping cantilever of a conveyor bridge and the crest of the dump should not be less than 3 m; for overburden spreaders which move periodically and use a cantilever-type belt conveyor, this distance should not be less than 1.5 m. 10. If there are signs of a rock slide on a waste dump, a conveyor bridge should immediately be removed from the danger zone. 8.18.8. Stockpiles, bins and storage silos 1. The following precautions should be taken for all bunkers, silos, ore passes and storage piles: (a) wherever practicable, special devices should be incorporated for breaking down material which has caked up, or for clearing other obstructions which have formed in the material; (b) no person should be permitted to enter or work in such locations until all conveyors are locked out and other tipping activities have been stopped. A permit-to-work system should be devised for this specific purpose; (c) persons should only enter under competent supervision; (d) work involving entry into bunkers, silos or ore passes, which may constitute confined spaces, should be entrusted to experienced persons who have been specially instructed in the hazards involved; (e) all persons entering should wear safety belts attached to a secure fitting at the entrance; (f) where appropriate, permanent ladders should be attached to the walls; (g) the support structures of bins and silos should be protected against collision with moving equipment; and (h) bins and silos should be regularly inspected by a competent person for hidden corrosion and wear. 2. When handling coal or other material which is liable to emit harmful gases, the atmosphere in the bunker or silo should be sampled and analysed before access is permitted. 3. Tunnels below coal stockpiles and silos should be ventilated so as to maintain concentrations of firedamp below 1 per cent. 4. When it is necessary for a tunnel to be closed at one end, an escape way of not less than 750 mm in diameter, or equivalent, should be provided, equipped with ladders as necessary, which extends from the closed end of the tunnel to a safe location on the surface. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 83 8.18.9. Mobile and travelling cranes 8.18.9.1. General requirements 1. The employer should ensure that all cranes, lift trucks and similar handling equipment in use at an opencast mine are constructed, operated and maintained in accordance with the relevant national standards and the manufacturer’s instructions. 2. No modifications or major repairs should be carried out on a crane unless these are performed by a person competent in this field. 8.18.9.2. Safety precautions 1. The following precautions should be adopted in the operation of cranes and lifting devices: (a) hitches and slings used to hoist materials should be suitable for the material being handled and should be in good condition; (b) taglines should be attached to loads that may require steadying or guidance while suspended; (c) persons should stay clear of suspended loads; (d) no material should be dropped from an overhead elevation unless the drop area has been cleared of personnel and either guarded or a suitable warning given; and (e) only trained and competent workers should be authorized to sling loads. 2. Fork and other types of lift trucks should be operated with: (a) the upright tilted back to secure the load; (b) the load kept in the upgrade position when ascending or descending grades in excess of 8 per cent; (c) with the exception of minor adjustments, the load should not be raised or lowered en route; and (d) the load-engaging devices should be on the downgrade side when travelling unloaded on all grades. 8.19. Transportation of hazardous goods to and from site 1. The transport of hazardous goods (as defined in national laws and accepted standards) is normally controlled by an authority with jurisdiction for transport on the public road network. Transport is typically carried out through a system of licensing transport vehicles and operators. 2. The employer should take care to ensure that only appropriately licensed and qualified entities are used for the transport of hazardous goods to and from the mine site. 84 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 8.20. Traffic 8.20.1. Hazard description 1. Opencast mines are often characterized by a mixture of light vehicles (able to be registered for use on a public road) and heavy vehicles (for example, large haul trucks). In the absence of effective controls, the potential for light and heavy vehicle collisions is ever present. In addition, roads and supporting infrastructure are made to “mine standards”, which may be less than those required for the public road network. 2. Traffic hazards can be caused by interaction between vehicles, vehicles and other objects and personnel, or by loads falling off or from a vehicle. A particularly catastrophic but credible accident scenario is a collision between a heavy vehicle and a personnel transport or bus. 8.20.2. Risk management 1. The assessment of risk presented by the movement of traffic at a surface mine might include: (a) the nature and needs of vehicles at the mine (for example, their turning circles); (b) the condition and capability of roads and other facilities to service those needs (for example, grades, road width, road surface, and intersection design); (c) the need for segregation, in space or time, of heavy and light vehicles, or personnel transport and other types of vehicles; (d) the fitness for purpose of traffic controls (for example, signage); (e) the adequacy of dust control measures; (f) the adequacy of water and, where relevant, ice control; (g) the adequacy of procedures controlling traffic movement; (h) the adequacy and use of operator and passenger protective devices (for example, seat belts); (i) the effects of limited visibility envelopes of vehicles or machinery and the adequacy of vehicle visibility enhancements (for example, flashing lights, flags or colours); (j) the need for and maintenance of no-go or exclusion zones around operating machinery; and (k) the adequacy of inter-vehicle/machine communication. 8.20.3. Control strategies 8.20.3.1. Roads 1. All mine roads should be designed for, and of such width as will adequately contain the vehicles using them. They should be provided with a shoulder barrier (berm) of an effective size for the traffic using the road (for example, the radius of largest wheel). MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 85 2. As far as practicable, light vehicles and, in particular, personnel transport should be segregated from heavy or haulage vehicles. 3. Haul roads should be of sufficient width to allow the safe operation of the largest vehicles that regularly use them and to allow access for emergency vehicles if required. For two-way traffic a width of at least 3.5 times the width of the largest vehicle should be considered; and for one-way traffic at least 1.5 times the width of the largest vehicle (width refers to the width of the useable running surface clear of guideposts, grader rills and safety berms). 4. Where appropriate, passing places, which should be clearly visible from both directions, should be provided on single-lane roads. The gradient and radius of any part of a road should be such that vehicles can negotiate the road in safety. 5. Such signs as may be necessary to control the speed and movement of all vehicles making use of roads should be put in place. 6. Mine roads should be adequately drained so as to control accumulations of standing water. Where required for surface maintenance or dust control, mine roads should be watered, but not to such an extent that safety is compromised. Roads subject to freezing conditions should be cleaned systematically of snow and ice and strewn with sand, gravel, slag or other suitable material. 7. Haul roads with steep gradients (for example, in excess of 5 per cent) should have emergency escape roads, which should: (a) be spaced throughout the length of the haul road; and (b) ensure that a runaway vehicle entering an emergency escape road can be safely brought to rest. 8. Haul road intersections should: (a) be formed to be as square as possible; (b) use centre berms to direct turning traffic; (c) have a reduction of height of road berms on the approach to allow for improved visibility; (d) have appropriate signage, such as: (i) stop or give-way signs controlling minor roads; (ii) keep left or keep right signs on centre berms, as appropriate; (iii) side road and intersection warning signs; and (iv) strategic placement of chevron warning signs. 8.20.3.2. Traffic rules 1. The operating speed of vehicles should be consistent with conditions of roadways, grades, clearances, visibility, traffic and the type of vehicle. Operators should maintain full control of vehicles while in motion. Haulage vehicles should be operated under power control at all times. 86 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 2. Haulage vehicles should remain a safe distance apart (for example, 50 m on haul roads and 30 m near loading and tipping points) and other vehicles should remain sufficiently separated to allow for potential spillage from haulage vehicles. 3. Haulage vehicles should travel in single file (not overtake) unless another vehicle is stationary (for example, broken down or temporarily parked). Other vehicles should not overtake unless there is positive communication with the other vehicle (not just traffic indicators) and it is safe to do so. 4. As far as practicable, all vehicles should be fitted with two-way radios to allow communication between them and operating face machinery. The use of mobile phones, including via hands-free appliances, should be prohibited while vehicles are in motion. 5. All vehicles should carry fire extinguishers of a suitable rating and compliant with accepted standards. As far as practicable, all vehicles should be fitted with seat belts, which should be worn. 6. All vehicles should utilize flags, flashing lights and distinctive marking to aid visibility, as appropriate. Visitors’ vehicles, or others not so equipped, should be escorted by an equipped vehicle. Vehicles should not be left unattended while the engine is running. 8.20.3.3. Traffic signs 1. Traffic signs should, as far as practicable, be identical to those used in the public road network beyond the mine site. Traffic signs should be installed at critical points, for example: (a) intersections; (b) where speed limits change; (c) at major changes in road grades; (d) changes in normal traffic flow; and (e) to indicate particular road hazards, as needed. 2. Traffic signs should be part of regular mine inspections and repaired or replaced as required. 8.20.3.4. Parking areas 1. Parking areas should be designated and signposted with provision for inherently stable parking (for example, humps or spoon or V drains). Parking areas should also include: (a) protection for pedestrians (for example, separate walkways, one-way traffic flow, walkways not crossing traffic routes); (b) protected maintenance bays, as appropriate; (c) adequate safe separation for heavy vehicles (for example, at least 5 m); (d) separate light and heavy vehicle parking; and (e) adequate lighting. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 87 8.20.3.5. Clearance distances 1. Adequate safe distances should be maintained between vehicles and operating machinery, especially in a face area, with the use of electronic proximity warning systems being desirable. 2. Before a vehicle enters the operating envelope of machinery there should be positive communication between the driver and the machinery operator. 3. Vehicles should remain a safe distance from high walls. 8.21. Multiple people carriers 8.21.1. Hazard description 1. The size of operations and their relative remoteness often means that opencast mines need to transport large numbers of people at the same time in a single conveyance. This includes work crews being transported to the working section of an opencast mine, the transport of workers to and from a mine site from towns or mine camps and, in the case of fly-in fly-out operations, by aircraft. 2. These arrangements present a very significant exposure to risk. The probability of a major accident involving such forms of transport may be relatively low, but the potential consequences (multiple fatalities) could be catastrophic. 8.21.2. Assessment of risk 1. The risk assessment of multi-person off-site transport might consider such factors as: (a) who is to be transported and in what numbers (as a measure of potential exposure); (b) the purpose of the transport; (c) the mode of transport; (d) the safety design and characteristics of the transport; (e) the optimal maintenance and timely replacement of transport vehicles and planes; (f) the credentials and reliability of transport providers; and (g) the level of competence of the transport operator (driver, pilot). 8.21.3. Control strategies 1. Control strategies for the transport of people might include: (a) reducing exposure by transporting fewer people, or using multiple vehicles (for example, conduct a number of flights to transport key personnel, or use of more and smaller buses); (b) considering whether the transport is absolutely necessary (in other words: could the same purpose be achieved by another means (for example, could workers be accommodated closer to the site)); 88 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (c) considering the safest mode of transport available (for example, is the time saved on a notoriously dangerous flight route justified, compared with road transport or other safer means); (d) fitting of all road transport with seat belts for drivers and passengers and ensuring their use; (e) considering the age and ensuring the mechanical and design integrity of the transport (fitness-for-purpose); (f) using only reputable and licensed transport providers, including through checking their credentials and past performance; (g) considering the use of in-house transport so that greater control can be exercised; and (h) ensuring that the transport operator (driver, pilot) has an acceptable level of competence (qualifications, skill and experience), including by checking licences and past performance. 8.22. Explosives 8.22.1. General provisions 1. No person should handle explosives or detonators at an opencast mine unless they are approved for that activity by the competent authority. “Handling explosives” includes the activities of conveying, manufacturing, processing, possessing, using, preparing for use, treating, dispensing, storing, packing, selling, supplying, rendering harmless, abandoning, destroying and disposing of explosives. 2. Only explosives and detonators approved by the competent authority and provided by, or with the knowledge of, the employer in charge of the mine should be used at an opencast mine. National laws should define the term “explosive” and specify the conditions governing its manufacture, transport and use. 8.22.2. Storage of explosives 1. A magazine built at a mine where explosives are to be stored should be constructed in accordance with the requirements of, and should be licensed by, the competent authority. Detonators and detonating accessories should not be stored in the same magazine as other explosives unless kept in a separate approved compartment. 2. Every main magazine should be under the charge of a competent person assigned by the employer for the purpose who should be responsible for access to the magazine and the safe storage and issue of the explosives. The employer should ensure that a durable record is kept, which should show the quantities of explosives on hand and the quantities of explosives received or issued, as well as the dates and times at which they were received or issued, and to whom. With the exception of explosives, articles likely to cause a fire or explosion should not be taken into or permitted to remain in such a magazine. 3. Persons should not smoke or permit an open flame to be within a specified distance (for example, 6 m) of any place where explosives are stored, transported or used. Every magazine should be kept clean, dry and adequately ventilated and the roof and walls maintained in good and safe condition. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 89 4. The area surrounding a magazine should be kept free of dry grass, bush, rubbish and other flammable material for an appropriate distance or as may be prescribed in national legislation and, where practicable, enclosed by a fence. 5. Explosives which have deteriorated should be isolated and destroyed in an approved manner in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 6. Where operations at a mine or part of a mine are to cease or be suspended, all explosives should be removed to a safe place or destroyed in an approved manner. The competent authority should, as soon as practicable, be informed of such removal or destruction. 8.22.3. Transport of explosives 1. The employer should prepare procedures to regulate the transport of all explosives and detonators at the mine. Vehicles used for the transport of explosives should comply with the following requirements: (a) they should have substantially constructed bodies, no sparking metal exposed in the cargo space, and should be equipped with suitable sides and tailgates; (b) they should be equipped with suitable fire extinguishers, wheel chocks and, when powered by an internal combustion engine, a battery isolating switch; (c) when transporting explosives or detonators, they should be posted with proper warning signs; (d) if they are parked while containing explosives or detonators, the brakes should be set, the ignition switched off, the vehicle blocked securely against movement and never left unattended; (e) when required to be taken to a garage or repair shop for any purpose, they should be emptied and cleaned out; and (f) their trailers, if used, should be fitted with efficient brakes and coupled to the towing vehicle by a properly designed rigid tow bar and safety chain couplers. 2. Explosives should be transported in separate vehicles from detonators, unless both materials are housed in separate and properly constructed containers. National laws should state the maximum quantities of explosives and detonators which may be transported. 3. If explosives or detonators are hauled by trolley locomotive, they should be placed in covered, electrically insulated cars. 4. Explosives or detonators should not be transported on locomotives. Only the necessary attendants should be allowed to ride on or in vehicles containing explosives or detonators. Explosives or detonators should not be transported on or with vehicles transporting workers. 5. Explosives and blasting agents should be correctly and stably loaded, and transported without undue delay, over routes and at times that expose the minimum number of persons. Other materials or supplies should not be placed in or on the cargo space of a conveyance containing explosives, detonating cord or detonators. Safety fuses contained in properly secured non-sparking containers used expressly for the transport of such fuses may be placed in the conveyance. 90 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 6. Substantial non-conductive containers should be used to carry explosives to blasting sites. Substantial non-conductive containers with tight-fitting covers should be used to transport or carry capped fuses and electric detonators to blasting sites. 7. Vehicles containing detonators or explosives, other than blasting agents, should not be left unattended except in blasting areas during loading or charging operations. 8. Separate containers for explosives, detonators, blasting agents, fuses and detonating accessories should be provided and used where these are carried manually. 8.23. Shotfiring 8.23.1. General provisions 1. National laws should specify the extent of the danger zone surrounding surface blasting operations, procedures to protect persons and property at risk of being affected by shock waves (vibration), flying fragments, dust and fumes from blasting operations. 2. No person may charge explosives unless authorized by the employer to do so, and any person thus authorized should be under the supervision of the shotfirer. Trainee shotfirers may be authorized by the employer to fire shots under the supervision of and in the immediate presence of a competent person. 3. The following precautions should be observed in the preparation for blasting: (a) explosives should be kept separate from detonators until charging is started; (b) primers should be made up immediately prior to use, and as close to the blasting area as conditions allow; (c) only wooden or other non-sparking implements should be used to open cases of explosives and to punch holes in an explosive cartridge; and (d) blasting caps should be crimped to fuses only with implements designed for that specific purpose. 4. A charge of explosive should not be fired in an opencast mine unless and until: (a) the person in charge of the blast has cleared all persons from the danger zone, and has posted sentries at all points of entry to prevent inadvertent access; (b) proper warning has been given in all adjacent areas from which a person might approach the danger zone; (c) all persons who are in places where they might be injured by the blasting have been warned; and (d) all such persons have taken adequate shelter or left the area. 5. All overhead and cable power lines located within the danger zone during blasting operations should be de-energized during the blast, and should be inspected before being re-energized. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 91 6. Where blasting at an opencast mining operation could constitute a public nuisance or danger, the competent authority may require the installation and operation of an audible warning device or other form of notification. 7. Where surplus or deteriorated explosives have to be disposed of, the advice of the manufacturer should be sought, and the destruction carried out in accordance with an agreed and developed procedure laid down by the employer. 8. When blasting operations are to be carried out in hot strata, the employer should ensure that a working procedure has been devised to deal with the resulting specific hazards. 8.23.2. Misfires 1. The employer in charge of a mine where shotfiring is practised should draw up a scheme specifying the procedure to be followed in the event of a misfire. When a misfire is known or suspected to have occurred, no work should be done at the site until the shotfirer or another experienced person has inspected the site at which the misfire occurred and taken such action as may be necessary to ensure that further work may be safely continued. No person should approach a misfired hole: (a) when a safety fuse has been used, until at least 30 minutes have elapsed since the time of lighting the fuse; and (b) when electrical firing has been used, until the shotfiring lines have been disconnected from the source of electric power and been short-circuited, and then at least 15 minutes after that have elapsed. 2. After the appropriate time interval, the shotfirer should inspect, or where they cannot do so, instruct another competent person to inspect the bench or face and take such action as may be necessary to ensure that further work may be safely continued. 3. A record of the inspection and of the action taken should be made, in a book kept at the mine for the purpose, at the end of the shift by the person making the inspection. 4. It is also common practice for the competent authorities to require the reporting of instances of misfires. 8.23.3. Electrical firing 1. Electric detonators of different types should not be used in the same round. All necessary testers, exploders, switches, fuses, electrical conductors and other necessary apparatus should be suitable for the conditions under which they are to be used, and should be provided by the employer. 2. No metre or device for the purpose of testing the resistance or continuity of circuits intended for electrical firing should be used, unless it is of a type which has been approved. Except when being tested with an approved instrument: (a) electric detonators should have a shunt fitted until they are being connected to the blasting line or wired into a blasting round; (b) wired rounds should be kept shunted until they are being connected to the blasting line; and (c) blasting lines should be kept shunted until immediately before blasting. 92 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 3. When blasting electrically in opencast mine operations, an instrument specifically designed and approved for testing blasting circuits should be used to test the: (a) continuity of each detonator in the borehole, prior to the addition of stemming; (b) resistance of individual series or the resistance of multiple balanced series to be connected in parallel, prior to their connection to the blasting line; (c) continuity of blasting lines, prior to the connection of electric detonator series; and (d) total blasting circuit resistance, prior to connection to the power source. 4. Where firing is carried out by means of electric power circuits, the: (a) voltage and current should be adequate for the number of detonators and type of circuit, and the voltage used should not exceed medium voltage; (b) shotfiring cables should be isolated from the source of power by a double throw switch, by means of which the cables are short-circuited and earthed when disconnected from the source of power; (c) isolating switch should be housed in a box with a locked door; and (d) shotfiring leads are connected to the firing cables through two-pin plugs fitted to appropriate bases connected to the firing cables. 5. Immediately after firing any charge, the shotfirer should disconnect the firing cable from the source of power and lock the box. The key to the door of the isolating switch box should not, under any circumstances, pass from the personal custody of the shotfirer on duty. 6. An exploder may be used for firing: (a) single electric detonators; or (b) electric detonators wired in series. 7. An exploder should not be used for firing electric detonators wired in a circuit which combines series and parallel wiring unless authorized by the employer. The exploder should have adequate capacity for the number of detonators to be fired in the circuit. 8. The exploder should be in the charge of the shotfirer on duty and should be fitted with a handle, key, or other device, the removal of which will render the exploder inoperative. It should be the duty of the shotfirer to ensure that the exploder is inoperative when not in use for firing and the handle, key, or other device should remain in their personal custody while they are on duty. 9. A hole being charged with ammonium nitrate blasting agent should be loaded so as to obtain a continuous explosive line. For charging purposes where other means are not practicable, ammonium nitrate blasting agent may be poured into a hole. 10. Pneumatic loading of ammonium nitrate blasting agent should not be used unless adequate steps have been taken to eliminate the hazard of static electricity including the grounding and bonding of the conductive parts of the pneumatic loading equipment. The loader and its associated equipment, when earthed, should give a total resistance to earth of not more than 1 megohm. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 93 11. Water lines, compressed air lines, wire-covered hoses, rails or permanent electrical earthing systems should not be used as a means of earthing. 12. Permanent blasting cables should be properly supported, insulated and maintained in good repair by a qualified mine electrician. 13. Conductors for blasting lines should: (a) be readily identifiable as being for blasting use; (b) be waterproofed; (c) consist of two insulated conductors; and (d) be kept as far as possible from any power or lighting cable, and kept out of contact with any pipes, rails or other conductive materials. 14. Detonators should not be used in the presence of radio transmitters or other radio-frequency fields except in accordance with standard distances provided for in national regulations, unless the detonators are coupled to transformers which are specifically designed to prevent induction of electrical current sufficient to activate the detonator. 15. No attempt should be made to charge, connect or fire a blast electrically if there is any sign of thunderstorm activity. If the presence of static electricity or stray currents is detected during charging up with electric detonators, charging should be stopped immediately and only resumed after the condition has been remedied. 8.24. Drilling 8.24.1. General safety precautions 1. Before the commencement of drilling operations, the area should be carefully inspected for misfires, sockets and other hazards. After a hole has been drilled, it should be closed off by a plug. Safe work procedures should be prepared and followed for each type of drilling employed. 8.24.2. Drilling rigs 1. Drilling rigs should be operated on a level surface. If working on a bench, the rig should be located a safe distance (for example, not less than 3 m) from the bench crest, especially when drilling the nearest hole to the crest – in this case, the operator should not have their back to the crest. While in operation, a drilling rig should be so arranged that its longitudinal axis is perpendicular to the bench crest. 2. When a drill is being moved from one drilling area to another, drill steel, tools and all other parts of the machine should be secured, and the mast placed in a safe position. If a drill helper assists the drill operator during the movement of a drill to a new position, the helper should be in sight of, or in communication with, the operator at all times. 3. No person should be on a rig mast while the drill-bit is in operation unless they are provided with a safe platform from which to work and are wearing a safety belt. When the rig mast is being raised or lowered, persons should not be permitted to remain in front of or behind a drilling rig. 94 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 4. Tools or other objects which might cause injury to personnel should not be left loose on the mast or drill platform. 5. With rotary drilling rigs for which the assembly and dismantling of the drilling set and the cleaning of the mouth of the hole are not mechanized, the augers should be enclosed and they should be interlocked with the electric power supply to the rotary driving motor. 8.25. Excavation and loading 8.25.1. Excavation 1. The employer in charge of the mine should ensure that excavation and loading rules, detailing the procedures to be followed during such operations, are prepared and followed. 2. Electrically powered equipment should be disconnected before mechanical work is done on such equipment. Power switches should be locked out or other measures taken to prevent the equipment being connected again without the knowledge of the women and men working on it. Such locks or protective devices should not be removed except by the person who installed them or by an authorized person. 3. In case of an unforeseen interruption of the electric power supply, the operator should immediately return all starters and control levers to the “stop” or “zero” positions. 4. The employer should ensure that technical instructions are prepared for each type of machine in operation. In addition to technical details relating to the machine, the information to be contained on this sheet should include the permissible dimensions of working places, bench heights, stability angles and distances that should be maintained by mining machines and transport equipment from working faces, dumps and tipping points. This information sheet should be posted in the proximity of the operator’s position on the machine concerned. 5. The cabins of all excavating machines should be so equipped that the operator can always keep that part of the face adjacent to the machine in sight. All sites where excavating machines are operating should be equipped with a means of communication with the machine operator. 6. Rail-mounted excavators should not be set in operation unless the tracks have been examined and pronounced safe. 7. Cab windows should be of safety glass or equivalent, in good condition and should be kept clean. 8. No unauthorized person should be allowed in the cabin or on the external platforms of an operating excavator. No person should mount or enter any excavator being operated and capable of movement without first attracting the operator’s attention. 8.25.2. Single-bucket excavators 1. When moving an excavator, the driven axle should always be positioned either at the downhill end or at the rear if the machine is level. The bucket should be empty and maintained at a height of not more than 1 m above the ground. The jib should face in the direction of motion. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 95 2. In the case of a walking excavator, the bucket should be empty and the jib should face backwards, opposite to the direction of movement. When moving on a gradient, all possible precautions should be taken against sliding of an excavator. 3. All movements of an excavator should be performed with the aid of an assistant to the operator. The assistant should use approved signals and should be within sight of the operator at all times. In the case of walking excavators, it may be necessary to transmit signals from the operator’s assistant through a third member of the team. 4. Excavators should stand on a firm and level base, with a gradient not exceeding the permissible gradient specified in the technical instruction sheet. In all cases, the distance from the flank of a bench or dump or any transport vehicle to the counterweight of an excavator should not be less than 1 m, and the cabin of the machine during operation should be placed in such a way that danger to the operator is minimized. 5. The employer should ensure that a special code of signals is established for the operators of excavators to be applied to the loading operation. This code of signals should be posted on the excavator in a prominent position. 6. During the loading of railcars by excavators and the unloading of cars at dumping positions, the train team should follow the signals given by the excavator operator’s assistant. These signals should correspond to those envisaged in the railway operating rules. 7. A free passage should be maintained at all times to enable an excavator to be speedily removed from a mining face. An excavator in operation should be stopped and removed immediately to a safe place when any dangerous conditions are detected, and particularly when there is a likelihood of rock falls from the face or when misfires have been located in the working area. 8. In cases where stripping and loading operations are performed with the aid of a dragline excavator, safety rules should be established by the employer and brought to the attention of all concerned. In particular, safe distances between machines should be established when two or more types of machines are working together. 8.25.3. Multi-bucket and rotary excavating machines 1. The technical instruction sheet should specify the permissible limits for gradients and radii of curvature for railway tracks and roads used by tracked and wheeled excavating machines and walking excavators. 2. Track gauges and other devices used for making observations on variations in track width and gradients should be checked at least once a month. The results of the checks should be recorded in the book kept at the mine for that purpose. No excavating machine should be operated if the gauges and devices for variations in track width and gradient are missing or defective. 3. Rotary excavating machines with extractable booms which cannot be retracted should be fitted with automatic devices to ensure that the specified rates of movement and angles of turn of the rotary boom are not exceeded. 4. Multi-bucket excavating machines should be fitted with devices for preventing the bucket frame, rotary boom and conveyor from lifting, lowering or turning through angles greater than those provided for in the machine design. 96 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 5. The operator’s cabin of an excavating machine should be equipped with an alarm signalling board and with instruments for controlling the: (a) rate of motion and turning angle of the rotary boom; (b) rate of motion of the excavating machine; and (c) voltage and power load at the lead-in of the machine. 6. During operation of a multi-bucket excavating machine, no person should be allowed adjacent to or between the cars being loaded, below loading and unloading points and conveyors or reloading devices, or under the chassis frame of the excavating machine. 7. Before starting a new cut with a multi-bucket excavating machine, the appropriate supervisor should inspect the face and take any necessary steps for the removal of foreign bodies such as large tree roots, pieces of timber, metal objects and the like along the entire front of operation of the machine and to the full width of cut, taking into account the angle of response. 8. A multi-bucket machine with bottom digging should not be operated where there is a possibility of rocks sliding on the face, and where the required stability of the slope and that of the working surface cannot be ensured. 9. In a combined operation involving a rotary excavator with conveyors and overburden spreaders, or a multi-bucket excavating machine which loads spoil on to a conveyor, the controls of the excavators/conveyors/spreaders should be interlocked. 10. In order to carry out repair and adjustment work, measures should be provided for manual control of each separate machine. 8.25.4. Scrapers and bulldozers 1. Drag cable scrapers should not be used on bench slopes having an inclination in excess of 5 degrees. No scraper plant should be started up unless a prior warning signal has been given; during the operation of a scraper, no person should attempt to make repairs or adjustments, to stand near the rope, or to guide the rope by hand. 2. While operating on a bench, self-propelled and tractor-hauled scrapers should not approach within 2 m of the bench crest. No scraper should be permitted to move backwards downhill when unloading. 3. Scrapers hauled by wheeled tractors should not be permitted to negotiate access roads having a gradient greater than: (a) 15 degrees in the case of a loaded machine; or (b) 25 degrees in the case of an empty machine. 4. When operating a tractor-type bulldozer, it should be prohibited to: (a) leave a machine with the engine running and the blade lifted; (b) stand on the blade frame or on the blade; MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 97 (c) operate a machine that is not fitted with an interlocking device to prevent the engine from starting when it is in gear; or (d) operate a machine that is not fitted with a device which requires the engine to be started from within the cab. 5. All repairs, lubrication or adjustments to a bulldozer should be performed with the machine on level ground, the engine switched off and the blade lowered to the ground. Where, because of failure or defect, a bulldozer is stopped on a slope, steps should be taken to block the machine in position so as to avoid any downhill movement before repairs are attempted. 6. Should it be necessary to carry out an inspection of the underside of a bulldozer blade, the blade should be lowered on to firm supports and the engine stopped. No person should be permitted to go under a lifted blade except if it is firmly chocked up and permission has been given by the competent person. 7. On every face or bench where a bulldozer may be called upon to operate, written instructions should be prepared, based on the conditions at each working place, and stating clearly the distance from the edge which no bulldozer may cross. 8. Bulldozers should not be permitted to operate on slopes where the inclination measured along the steepest plane exceeds 25 degrees or on any slope which has a dangerous cross inclination. 8.25.5. Loading 1. The employer should ensure that all equipment and vehicles in use for these operations are of an approved type and conform with such specifications and requirements for safety as may have been laid down in national laws. 2. The following precautions should be considered during loading operations: (a) a driver of any truck should not enter or leave their cab; (b) the loaded bucket of any shovel or loader should not be traversed over the driver’s cab of a truck or other motor vehicle; (c) all persons should keep clear of the area between the loading unit and the mine face, and the area traversed by the loading bucket during loading operations; (d) all rocks that are too large to be handled safely should be broken before loading; (e) transport equipment should be loaded in a manner to minimize spillage during haulage; and (f) proximity detection or location devices should be used. 3. The following precautions should be adopted during dumping operations: (a) where there is a possibility that the ground at a dumping place may fail to support the weight of a vehicle, loads should be dumped back from the edge of the bank; (b) a vehicle should not be permitted to dump a load over a bank or into a bin, unless there is an effective backstop provided, or otherwise (if necessary) a person is safely stationed and properly equipped to guide and direct the driver to a safe dumping position; 98 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx (c) when dumping is carried out, whether by day or by night, marker guides or other effective signs should be placed to indicate to the driver the limit of the safe approach to the tipping area; (d) when dumping is carried out during the hours of darkness, the area should be illuminated by lighting units so placed as to give effective illumination to the working area and to the edge of the dump area; (e) adequate artificial lighting should be provided at all points where poor visibility or work during the hours of darkness may present a hazard; and (f) there should be no reflections, dazzle or glare which cause decreased visibility. 9. General controls 1. There are a number of controls which have an impact across a range of hazards. For example, the spatial information provided through surveying is used for a number of purposes. If that information is inaccurate, then the impact can be seen in several areas. Another example is inadequate training arrangements which can have a broad impact across an organization. 2. Great attention should be paid to these controls, as the failure of one can have an impact across a number of safety and health management arrangements. 9.1. Surveyors and plans 9.1.1. Competent surveyor 1. No opencast mine should be worked unless there is a competent person to act as the mine surveyor. No person should be assigned as the mine surveyor unless they are considered competent in accordance with national laws. 9.1.2. Responsibilities of the mine surveyor 1. The mine surveyor should be required to: (a) prepare or supervise the preparation of all plans, drawings and sections of the mine which are required by national laws; (b) establish the accuracy of any plans, drawings or sections which have not been prepared by the mine surveyor; and (c) ensure that all working papers, calculations or other notes which were necessarily used in the preparation of any plans, drawings and sections are signed, dated, properly filed and preserved. 9.1.3. Plans: General 1. Every mine should keep accurate plans showing particulars of all the workings, together with such other information as may be specified by national laws. All plans should be kept up to date periodically, as often as required for their purpose and as may be specified by national laws. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 99 9.1.4. Plans: Requirements 1. At every mine there should be: (a) a general plan of the mine showing: existing workings of the mine, including disused workings; proposed workings of the mine; any other disused workings that are attached, or in close proximity, to the mine; and the location or best estimated location of any adjacent mine workings or geological structures which may impact on the mine; and (b) an emergency plan for the mine showing such things as the position of all telephones and other communication equipment, first-aid stations, and firefighting and rescue devices. The emergency plan should always be available for the information of workers. 9.1.5. Faulty plans 1. The competent authority should be empowered to direct the employer to have the mine surveyed and new plans prepared if plans are found to be inaccurate or deficient. 9.1.6. Abandonment plans 1. No mine or part of a mine should be abandoned until the mine plans, including an accurate survey of all areas where mining has been conducted, have been brought up to date. Abandonment plans should contain all the information specified in national laws, together with any other information not so specified which may affect the safety of the surrounding area, including neighbouring mine workings; such plans should be endorsed with a certificate from the mine surveyor attesting to their accuracy and any limitations thereon. 2. Abandonment plans should be submitted to the competent authority, which should store them safely and should keep a proper register of stored plans; they should be made available to all persons having a proper interest in them. 9.2. Mine registration and record-keeping 9.2.1. Commencement and cessation of mining operations 1. Any opencast mine should be registered with the competent authority in a manner consistent with national laws. Notification should be made to the competent authority along with plans and details of the mining scheme and equipment before the: (a) commencement of any mining operation; (b) the reopening of an abandoned or closed mine; and (c) the proposed closure of a mine, indicating whether the closure is temporary or permanent. 2. Where a change occurs in the ownership or the name of a mine, or the identity of the mine operator, the latter should, as soon as practicable, notify the competent authority of the change. 100 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 9.3. Records and returns 1. All records, reports, plans or other documents required by national laws on matters of safety and health should be kept in a secure manner at the mine and should be available for inspection by the competent authority and the workers’ representatives. 2. The employer should send to the competent authority such returns and statistics as may be required relating to the safety and health matters at the mine. These should be made available to the workers’ representatives. 9.4. Mine design and methods 9.4.1. Design requirements 1. Where an opencast mine excavation is planned to exceed a significant depth (for example, 10 m), the operator should, prior to the commencement of excavation, prepare: (a) a mine design; and (b) an operating manual. 2. The mine design should include: (a) maps and, where available, recent aerial photographs, showing the location and physical features of the mine area, including local drainage systems; (b) drawings showing: (i) the contours of the ground before any site preparation; (ii) structural geology in the region of the mine; (iii) a plan of the mine illustrating the projected five-year plan; (iv) typical cross-section through the walls; (v) the location of any diversionary drainage systems; and (vi) the results of any tests, studies and investigations to determine: (1) geotechnical properties of the rock and soil in the vicinity of the walls; and (2) groundwater conditions in the vicinity of the mine; (c) the design, position, nature of construction and stability analysis of any support structures to be incorporated in the walls; (d) a stability analysis including an outline of any design assumptions that were made; and (e) details of any testing and instrumentation which may be required to monitor wall or strata movement and groundwater conditions in the region of the mine to verify the design assumptions. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 101 3. The operating manual should include: (a) specifications for the configuration of the final mine walls, including toe and crest positions, planned face slopes, average overall wall slopes, bench widths, bench intervals and any berm construction; (b) the method and rate of excavation to the final walls; (c) details of any blasting procedure to maintain control of the pit wall; (d) specifications for drainage and dewatering systems; and (e) details including location, method and frequency of reading and of maintenance of any instrumentation required to monitor wall and strata movement or groundwater conditions in the region of the mine. 4. Where an amendment to any design is proposed, the employer in charge of the mine should prepare a report showing: (a) the extent of the land to be disturbed by any additional excavation; (b) the new design height of any wall; (c) details of any additional site preparation and excavation, including any blasting procedures that may be required; and (d) an analysis of the safety aspects of the intended design to include the results of: (i) geotechnical studies, including drill-hole logs, tests and groundwater measurements; and (ii) stability studies to assess any effects of the amendment on the security of the walls. 9.4.2. Stripping of overburden 1. Vegetation, such as bushes and trees, should be removed from the overburden before stripping. Foundations of buildings should be similarly removed when stripping reaches their level. 2. When the overburden consists of unconsolidated or blasted material: (a) excavation by undercutting should not be used; (b) if mechanical equipment is not used, no place should be worked unless the material is at a stable angle; and (c) if mechanical equipment is used, no working face should have a vertical height of greater than the maximum height to which the excavation equipment in use can reach. 3. All rock, stone or other material from the stripping of overburden should be dumped, tipped or otherwise disposed of safely. 4. Where mining is to be carried out in regions of heavy snowfall or heavy rainfall, particularly in areas liable to flash flooding, lightning strike or where monsoon conditions are prevalent, or in active seismic areas where earthquakes and landslides may be expected, or in areas of 102 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx volcanic activity, special protective procedures should be developed and copies of these procedures kept at the mine. 9.4.3. Mining methods 1. Mining methods should be used that will maintain wall, bank and slope stability in places where women and men work or travel in performing their assigned tasks. When benching is necessary, the width and height should be based on the type of equipment used for cleaning of benches or for scaling of walls, banks and slopes, and the safety of any persons or vehicles working or travelling thereon. 2. Ground conditions that create a hazard to persons should be taken down or supported before other work or travel is permitted in the affected area. 3. Until corrective work is completed, the area should be posted with a warning against entry and, when left unattended, a barrier should be installed to impede unauthorized entry. Trimming, scaling and support should be carried out from a safe location. 4. The vertical height of a bench face being worked should not exceed a safe height, for example, 8 m if is to be worked manually, or 20 m if it is to be loaded mechanically. This provision should not prevent a mine from being worked with two or more benches having a face height not exceeding 8 m and 20 m correspondingly. 5. Persons should not be permitted to work or travel between machinery or equipment and the high wall or bank where the machinery or equipment may hinder escape from falls or slides from the high wall or bank. No person should be deployed in a determined exclusion zone of mechanical equipment unless that equipment is effectively immobilized. 6. In cases where an opencast mine is being worked in the vicinity of any underground workings, no face of the opencast mine should be advanced over the underground workings if danger could be occasioned to persons in the underground workings or in the opencast mine unless the competent authority has been informed beforehand and approval has been obtained for the method of working to be implemented. 7. Blasting should not be performed in underground workings that lie within 30 m vertically below the bottom or 60 m horizontally from the wall of any opencast mine in which work is being carried out, unless consultation has taken place between the managements of both enterprises to devise and implement suitable precautionary measures to ensure safety. 8. No person should work or climb on top of any surge stockpile in active use to which broken rock is fed from above and from which the rock is withdrawn unless all the following provisions are complied with: (a) they have been authorized to do so by the employer; (b) the feed to and from the stockpile has been stopped and locked out; (c) it has been established that the chute below is not in the discharging position; (d) they are wearing a safety belt attached to a rope of correct length, securely fixed to an anchorage above them; and (e) they are assisted by another person stationed at a safe vantage point above them. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 103 9. A tunnel under a surge stockpile of broken rock or other unconsolidated material (reclaim tunnel) should have two entrances as far as practicable. Caution should be exercised to ensure that reclaim tunnels do not constitute a “confined space”. 10. No person should be permitted to work on a face, wall or other location in an opencast mine from which a dangerous fall could occur unless they are: (a) wearing a safety belt of correct length, securely fixed to an anchorage above them; and (b) are assisted by a competent person. 11. As far as practicable, where explosives are used, bench drilling should be carried out from the top of the bench. This provision should not prevent the drilling and firing of toe or other holes, but a combination of top-drilled and toe-drilled holes should be avoided, particularly if intended for sequential firing. 12. A working face should not be drilled or otherwise worked in a manner which will create an overhang of the face, and where unconsolidated rock is being mined, the face and sides should be rammed to prevent collapse. A face should not be undercut by the excavation of a slot at the toe of the face; this provision should not, however, prevent a tunnel or adit being driven into the face for drainage purposes. 13. At a mine where rock is being sluiced or mined by jets of water or other liquid, no person should be permitted to approach the top of the mine face to within a distance equal to twice the height of the face. When working of the jets is suspended, no person may enter the zone earlier excluded unless that zone has been examined and declared to be safe by a competent person. Before the resumption of jet operation all persons should again be withdrawn from that zone. 14. The maximum height of a working face in sandy material should not exceed the vertical reach of the excavating equipment working at the face. In cases where the projected total depth of any sandpit excavation will exceed the vertical reach of the excavating equipment to be used, the pit should be worked by a series of benches. 15. Each bench should have separate loading arrangements and should be of sufficient length and breadth to provide safe working conditions. Sand pit faces should be worked over as large a width as is practicable, and at any cessation of operations for a period of time exceeding that of one shift, all pit faces should be sloped to prevent any further slump of sand. For the purpose of the present paragraph, the walls of a sand pit should be considered to be working faces. For the purposes of this section, sand includes all unconsolidated materials or deposits. 16. Where manual workers are engaged on or ahead of overburden, stripping or mineral-winning phases, then there should either be a team of two workers or more working together, or any solitary worker should be kept under constant observation at all times. 9.5. Competence, education and training 9.5.1. General provisions 1. No person should be employed to work at an opencast mine unless that person has received the necessary instruction and training so as to be able to do the work competently and safely. 104 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 2. National laws or regulations should establish standards for the training of all workers at opencast mines, including miners, supervisory officials and contractors. The employer should prepare, and national laws or regulations require, a training plan which should specify: (a) the period and type of induction training for new workers to the industry; (b) the period and type of training required for women and men assigned to new work; (c) the period of attendance by persons at approved courses of training at a mining school or other approved place and, where practicable, the inclusion in the curriculum of training in OSH hazards, emergency response and first-aid techniques vital to saving lives; (d) the period of training in each operation, including training required when new systems of work are introduced; (e) the requirement that each person employed at a mine should undergo refresher training at intervals to be specified and in a manner and language understood by the workers; (f) the training and retraining of supervisory officials, examiners, electricians and other such personnel; (g) the training of contract workers who work at the mine; (h) the requirement that records of the training of each person be kept by a training officer appointed by the employer in charge of the mine; (i) the duty of the training officer to supervise the training of women and men who work at the mine and to report, in writing, on training matters as required by the employer in charge of the mine. 3. Training programmes should: (a) be conducted by competent persons; (b) include participant evaluation for comprehension and retention of the training; (c) be reviewed periodically by the safety and health committee, where it exists, or by the employer in consultation with workers or their representatives, and modified as necessary; and (d) be documented. 4. The form and the content of training, which should be required by national laws or regulations, particularly for new workers, should be devised and implemented by employers in consultation with workers or their representatives, and should be in accordance with the identified needs, and include: (a) pertinent aspects of relevant legislation, codes of practice and instructions on the prevention of accidents and disease and any collective agreement, such as the rights, responsibilities and duties of competent authorities, employers, contractors and workers; (b) assessments, reviews and exposure measurements, and the rights and duties of workers in this regard; MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 105 (c) the role of health surveillance, the rights and duties of workers in this regard, and access to information; (d) the hazards associated with mine fires and measures needed to prevent them and extinguish them should they occur; (e) the hazards of unsafe walls, and the measures needed to prevent rock falls or collapses; (f) hazard warning signs and symbols for hazardous ambient factors which may occur; (g) any other relevant hazards; (h) the health risks of respirable dusts and measures needed to prevent related diseases; (i) procedures to be followed in an emergency, emergency measures, firefighting and fire prevention, and first aid; (j) instructions on PPE as may be necessary, its significance, correct use and limitations, and in particular on factors which may show inadequacy or malfunction of the equipment, and the measures which may be required for workers to protect themselves; (k) the nature and degree of hazards or risks to safety and health which may occur, including any factors which may influence that risk, such as appropriate hygiene practices; (l) the correct and effective use of prevention, control and protection measures, especially engineering controls, and the responsibility of workers to use such measures properly; (m) ergonomically correct methods for the handling of materials and tools; (n) methods for identifying harmful chemicals and agents, including use of SDS which should be provided in languages and at educational levels that ensure they will be understood by workers; (o) appropriate hygiene practices to prevent, for example, the transmission of hazardous substances off-site; (p) cleaning, maintenance, storage and waste disposal, to the extent that these may cause exposure for the workers concerned; (q) suitable instruction in the hazards connected with their work and in their working environment, as well as training in precautions necessary to avoid accidents, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases; and (r) training of safety and health committees. 5. Training should be provided to workers at no cost and should take place during working hours. If this is not possible, the timing and other arrangements should be agreed upon between the employer and workers’ representatives. 6. Employers should ensure that training and information requirements and procedures are kept under review, as part of the assessment review and documentation. 106 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 9.5.2. Qualifications of managers and supervisory officials 1. Each mine operation should employ managers, supervisory officials, examiners, mining engineers and others responsible for the health and safety of the mining operation who have been certified as competent in accordance with national laws or regulations. 2. Candidates for certification of competency for positions, such as mine managers, mine foremen, assistant mine foremen or deputies, and/or mine examiners or their equivalent, should have completed a specified number of years of practical work experience. Candidates for those positions should have to pass a test administered by the competent authority covering the various aspects of mining laws, practices and conditions they would be dealing with in their official positions. 3. Successful management requires the integration of OSH into all the facility’s activities, including contractors’ activities. 4. Responsibility for managing OSH within any organization should be placed upon managers and supervisors at each level in the job hierarchy. Managers and supervisory officials should be in possession of an appropriate qualification and training, or have gained sufficient knowledge, skills and experience to qualify on the basis of competence, to ensure that they are able to: (a) plan and organize safe operations, including identification of hazards, assessments of risks and the implementation of preventive measures; (b) establish, implement and maintain an OSH management system; (c) monitor the status of OSH in those operations for which they are responsible; and (d) take corrective action in the event of non-compliance with requirements. 5. Managers should receive technical and other training to allow them to fulfil their responsibilities for OSH. 9.5.3. Qualifications, training and skills testing of workers 1. The employer should: (a) provide workers with the instruction and training that is necessary to enable them to perform their work safely and without injury; (b) ensure that every worker has the training to become familiar with work-related hazards and risks to which they may be exposed and the measures that need to be taken to control those risks; (c) ensure that every worker is made aware of the relevant laws, regulations, standards, instructions and advice relating to prevention of accidents and diseases as they relate to opencast mining; (d) evaluate the education and training of workers to ensure its effectiveness. MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx 107 2. The employer should ensure that every worker is properly trained: (a) to deal appropriately with every significant risk to safety and health that is associated with any work that the worker has to perform; (b) in the measures necessary to control those risks to safety and health; (c) in the procedures to be followed to perform the work; and (d) in relevant emergency procedures. 9.5.4. Qualifications of contractors and others working at the mine 1. The management of OSH with contractors and other parties should be consistent. 2. Best practices in OSH at the facility should be applied to contractors. 3. Only those contractors that can demonstrate good performance and an adequate safety and health management system should be used. 4. The OSH management systems of contractors and their OSH record should carry similar weight to other performance factors when considering the choice of contractors. 5. Before commencing work, on-site pre-work briefings should be completed which cover the scope of work, work method, identification of key hazards and risk assessment. All relevant safety permits should be completed before work is commenced and the mining worksites should be supervised and examined to the same standards that exist for the mining operation. 9.6. Personal protective equipment (PPE) 9.6.1.

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

and (f) use, where practicable, anti-vibration handles. 3. When purchasing equipment and industrial vehicles, employers should ascertain that the vibration exposure to the user is within prescribed national standards and regulations. 4. Where old machinery is still in use, sources of vibration that present a risk to safety and health should be identified, and suitable modifications made by employing current knowledge of vibration-damping techniques. 5. Seating in vehicles, including static plant with integral seating, should be designed to minimize transmission of vibration to the rider, and should permit an ergonomically good working position. 6. Where workers are directly or indirectly exposed to vibration transmitted via the floor or other structures, the vibrating machines should be mounted on vibration isolators (anti- 36 MECPM-CoP-[SECTO-170606-1]-En.docx vibration mounts), installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or designed and manufactured according to internationally recognized plant and equipment standards. 7. Machinery or vibrating tools should be maintained regularly, because worn components may increase vibration levels. 8. Where the exposure might lead to injury if workers continue to work for a longer period, and reduction of the vibration is impracticable, the work should be rearranged to give rest periods or job rotation sufficient to reduce the overall exposure to a safe level. 8.6. Heat and cold stress 8.6.1.