Rockfall mitigation design and hazard assessment in surface mining

Professor Anna Giacomini

Rockfall risk is most of the time considered and managed in the context civil infrastructure, such as road or railway corridors. Rockfall is also a significant hazard in the context of mining environments, yet it threatens human lives, machinery and portal structures for underground entry located at the toe of highwalls. Safety of workers in all mine areas affected by rockfall has to be rigorously managed and appropriate mitigation measures become necessary to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. In addition, rockfall hazard can have significant financial consequences if the production must stop for safety issues. The presentation will focus on rockfall hazards and its impact in surface mining. In particular, recent innovative techniques for the investigation of the efficiency of rockfall protection measures will be presented and the development of a rigorous guidance on rockfall management strategies will be discussed. The research was developed in an Australian context but is applicable to a broader international context, both in civil and mining environments.

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