Geotechnical considerations following a major haul road collapse Paddington Goldmine, Western Australia

The collapse of the west wall and loss of the haul road in the Padl open pit at the Paddington Goldmine on 8 May 1990 had far reaching implications. Geotechnical considerations were of key importance in restarting production, designing and carrying out remedial measures and design for future west wall slopes within Pad1 and elsewhere at Paddington. Unbenched slopes have been designed as part of remedial works and mining of the nearby Pad2 deposit. As a result of the failure, research to assess the effect of artificial support is currently underway, and greater quality control of support installation has been identified as a requirement. Slope monitoring utilising a variety of techniques continues to be an integral part of mining at the site.