Western Australian Current Regulations Western Australian Current Regulations[r. 628]
1 . Geotechnical structure instability
The following matters
must be considered in developing control measures to manage the risks of
geotechnical structure instability —
(a)
influence of geotechnical properties, geological structures, naturally
occurring and mining‑induced ground stresses on local and overall
geological structure instability;
(b)
effects of time, water and oxidation on geotechnical properties;
(c) the
hydrological and hydrogeological environment, including surface and ground
water and their effect on the stability of geological structures;
(d) site
selection for waste, tailings and water storage;
(e) the
effect of size, slope and geometry of openings and pillars left as support;
(f)
design life of geotechnical structures;
(g)
method, sequence and rate of extraction of ground;
(h)
placement of any filling material;
(i)
design, installation (including time of installation),
monitoring, maintenance, longevity and quality control of ground support and
reinforcement;
(j)
managing and minimising adverse effects of blasting, old workings and dynamic
loading;
(k) use
of appropriate equipment for scaling of ground and installing ground support
and reinforcement;
(l)
seismic activity, including —
(i)
assessing the likelihood of potential seismic activity;
and
(ii)
monitoring for seismic activity; and
(iii)
how data collected during the monitoring for seismic
activity will be analysed; and
(iv)
precautions taken to eliminate or minimise the adverse
effects of seismic activity;
(m)
design and construction of foundations of structures;
(n)
procedures for dealing with emergencies due to instability or ground failure;
(o)
inspecting and monitoring geotechnical structures, including —
(i)
how data is collected and analysed; and
(ii)
if corrective action is required, how that action will be
carried out;
(p)
competency of designers, planners, supervisors and operators;
(q)
integration of ground control measures with the design of the mine, production
at the mine and the measures taken when the mine closes under
regulation 675UI(3)(a).
The following matters
must be considered in developing control measures to manage the risks to
health and safety associated with inrush —
(a)
identifying potential sources of water and other substances that may be the
source of material causing unplanned inrush at the mine,
including —
(i)
where water or other material that may cause inrush is
stored, and where those places are in relation to workplaces; and
(ii)
natural surface water bodies and systems; and
(iii)
surface or underground workings, including workings in
adjoining mines, that contain or may contain water, slurry or other materials;
and
(iv)
inaccessible underground voids with unknown boundaries;
and
(v)
subsurface water bodies and systems; and
(vi)
natural events that may result in excess water; and
(vii)
tailings, waste and rock storage facilities; and
(viii)
loss of containment while backfilling, or loss of
containment of backfilled material; and
(ix)
ore and waste passes and draw points;
(b)
identifying possible paths or failure modes by which inrush could occur,
including —
(i)
openings from underground to surface; and
(ii)
boreholes connecting to water bodies; and
(iii)
potential accidental breakthrough into current or old
voids; and
(iv)
potential failure of barriers, including walls, bunds,
plugs, dams, barricades, levies and rock barriers; and
(v)
geological structures and weaknesses; and
(vi)
sink holes and caving of workings; and
(vii)
liquefaction;
(c)
having regard to, and taking adequate control measures against, inrush at each
stage of mining, including design, construction, operation and closure of a
mine, including each of the following that apply —
(i)
where water, or other material that may cause inrush, is
stored to avoid inrush occurring in relation to workplaces;
(ii)
designing, constructing and maintaining barriers,
including walls, bunds, plugs, dams, barricades, levies and rock barriers;
(iii)
inspecting current or old workings, if possible, before
breaking through;
(iv)
identifying the extent and condition of current and old
voids, including by using accurate and available plans and
cross‑sections, remote sensing technology and drilling probe holes;
(v)
developing a process for drilling probe holes that allows
for the detection and controlled release of any water encountered;
(vi)
extreme weather conditions, including by monitoring and
responding to those conditions;
(vii)
potential inrush sources, including by marking danger
zones around the sources;
(viii)
workers working near or approaching areas that contain or
may contain water or slurry;
(ix)
drawing ore or waste from passes or draw points;
(x)
draining of workings, if practicable, that contain or may
contain water or slurry before workers work near or approach the workings;
(xi)
backfilling operations, including working near backfilled
workings;
(xii)
withdrawing workers and other persons from any area if
there is a risk of an imminent inrush.
3 . Mine shafts and winding systems
The following matters
must be considered in developing the control measures to manage the risks
associated with mine shafts and winding operations —
(a) the
stability and integrity of mine shafts;
(b) the
ventilation arrangement for sinking a mine shaft in which people will enter to
carry out work;
(c) the
potential for fires in underground operations, mine shafts or winder areas;
(d) the
potential for any unintended or uncontrolled movement of the conveyances
within mine shafts;
(e) the
potential for a detached conveyance to fall down a mine shaft;
(f) the
potential for persons, equipment, materials or support structure to fall into
or within mine shafts;
(g) the
potential for failure of, or damage to, health and safety related equipment
and controls, including the following —
(i)
ropes bearing the weight of the shaft conveyance;
(ii)
controls and limiting devices to prevent overwind,
overrun, overspeed and the exceeding of other selected limits;
(iii)
equipment and controls to detect, prevent or cause the
winder to stop in the event of slack rope, drum slip or tail rope
malfunctions;
(iv)
braking systems, including emergency brakes and systems
for preventing the freefall of a conveyance;
(v)
warning systems for any emergency in mine shafts;
(vi)
communication systems;
(h) the
potential for injury to persons in a conveyance from material being carried in
the conveyance or falling from another conveyance;
(i)
measures to enable persons to escape from a stalled
conveyance;
(j)
competencies of winder operators.
4 . Roads and other areas where mobile plant
operate
The following matters
must be considered in developing control measures to manage the risks
associated with roads and other areas where mobile plant operate —
(a) the
impact of road design and characteristics, including —
(i)
the road layout; and
(ii)
the road width; and
(iii)
the road gradient, including the change of gradient and
the road’s cross slope; and
(iv)
drainage; and
(v)
lighting; and
(vi)
the road guide; and
(vii)
the road surface and subsurface; and
(viii)
the road’s construction material; and
(ix)
the load bearing capacity of the road; and
(x)
the driver line of sight when using the road; and
(xi)
the radius of the curvature of the road; and
(xii)
the road guides, markers and reflectors; and
(xiii)
the side treatments of roads;
(b)
design of areas where mobile plant operates, including —
(i)
parking areas; and
(ii)
the proximity of roads to overhead power lines and
buildings and other structures; and
(iii)
maintenance workshops; and
(iv)
intersections; and
(v)
interaction with public roads and railways;
(c)
maintenance of roads and areas where mobile plant operate;
(d)
selection of mobile plant with safety features fit for the use for which the
mobile plant is selected and the plant’s operating parameters, including
driver line of sight, reversing sensors, cameras, mirrors, flashing or
rotating lights and anti‑collision devices;
(e)
maintenance of mobile plant, including —
(i)
preventative maintenance; and
(ii)
a system for reporting of early defects; and
(iii)
a system for corrective actions;
(f)
traffic management, including dealing with —
(i)
the interaction between heavy and light mobile plant; and
(ii)
pedestrians and mobile plant, including heavy mobile
plant; and
(iii)
temporary obstructions; and
(iv)
changes in operating conditions; and
(v)
blind spots; and
(vi)
visibility issues caused by dust, haze or a lack of
light; and
(vii)
interaction between externally‑controlled plant
with other plant and pedestrians; and
(viii)
communication;
(g)
operating procedures, including in relation to —
(i)
parking mobile plant on slopes and in production areas;
and
(ii)
driving in hazardous areas; and
(iii)
issuing a warning before reversing or moving; and
(iv)
dumping material from a height;
(h)
training and competence of persons carrying out maintenance on mobile plant;
(i)
training and competence of persons using roads and areas
where mobile plant operate, including —
(i)
training on the use of mine roads; and
(ii)
training on rules for using roads at the mine; and
(iii)
authorisations to operate specific mobile plant in all or
part of the mine;
(j)
providing and maintaining hazard and traffic control signs;
(k) the
interaction between mobile plant at an underground mine or quarry,
including —
(i)
side and top clearance from workings; and
(ii)
clearance from rock support, power lines, pipes, vent
bags and other overhead items; and
(iii)
hazards arising from using mobile plant near open holes
or voids with a steep fall; and
(iv)
control of traffic near sharp bends or narrow openings;
(l)
changes in operating conditions.
The following matters
must be considered in developing control measures to manage the risks of fire
and explosion —
(a) the
potential sources of flammable, combustible and explosive substances and
materials, both natural and introduced, including gas, dust, fuels, solvents
and timber;
(b) the
potential sources of ignition, fire or explosion, including plant,
electricity, static electricity, spontaneous combustion, lightning, hot work
and other work practices;
(c) the
potential for propagation of fire or explosion to other parts of the mine;
(d) for
an underground mine —
(i)
the use of diesel engine operated plant, including
selecting and maintaining the plant, the plant’s
auto‑fire‑suppression system and refuelling; and
(ii)
the use of conveyors, compressors and explosives; and
(iii)
the hot work and welding; and
(iv)
the storage and transportation of diesel, explosives,
combustible and flammable substances; and
(v)
the spontaneous combustion; and
(vi)
the coal, sulphide and other dust explosions; and
(vii)
the emission of methane and other explosive gases; and
(viii)
the monitoring and early warning system for failure of
controls and fire; and
(ix)
the integration of fire and explosion measures with
underground ventilation and emergency plans;
(e) for
an underground coal mine —
(i)
the use of light metal alloys; and
(ii)
the use of barriers against explosion; and
(iii)
the use of fire‑protected or
explosion‑protected internal combustion‑compression engines; and
(iv)
the selection, use and maintenance of conveyor belts; and
(v)
the selection, use and maintenance of
remote‑controlled plant; and
(vi)
the selection and use of electrical cables,
remote‑controlled plant and other plant.
6 . Gas outbursts at underground coal mines
The following matters
must be considered in developing control measures to manage the risks of gas
outbursts at an underground coal mine —
(a) the
potential for gas release into the working area of a mine from both natural
and introduced sources in a concentration that could lead to fire, explosion
or asphyxiation;
(b) the
potential for accumulation of gases in working areas and inactive or
unventilated areas of the mine;
(c) the
nature of the gas that could be released;
(d) the
gas levels in the material being mined;
(e) gas
seam pressures.
7 . Spontaneous combustion at underground coal
mines
The following matters
must be considered in developing control measures to manage the risks of
spontaneous combustion at an underground coal mine —
(a) the
potential for spontaneous combustion to occur in the coal being mined,
including by —
(i)
evaluating the history of the mine in relation to
spontaneous combustion; and
(ii)
evaluating any adjacent or previous mining operations in
the same seam; and
(iii)
the conduct of scientific testing;
(b) mine
ventilation practices;
(c) the
design of the mine;
(d) the
impact of gases generated by spontaneous combustion on mine environmental
conditions.