FATALITY PREVENTION

Element 1.10

MINE SLOPE SAFETY

CONTENTS PAGE
1.0 Context...................................................................2

2.0 PURPOSE..............................................................2

3.0 SCOPE...................................................................2

4.0 ELEMENT REQUIREMENTS................................2

5.0 GLOSSARY OF TERMS........................................6

Version Date Reason for Change

001 30 Dec 2002 Implementation

Safety Improvement Committee Kepala Teknik

Date: Date: 02-01-03
30-12-02

Signature: Signature:
Fatality Prevention Element
FPE 1.10 Mine Slope Safety

1.0 Context
It has been recognized that overburden material has relatively low strength and is prone to failure.
Geotechnical engineering design is a specialist field that has recognized that it is not always possible to
identify in advance localized areas of failure and therefore it is critical to establish risk controls to avoid
fatal injuries resulting from mine slope instability.

2.0 Purpose
To ensure that all hazards associated with Mine Slope Safety are identified, assessed, and controlled by
competent persons such that the risk of injury is minimised.

3.0 Scope
This standard applies to mining areas where personnel may be exposed to loose, falling and/or rolling
material and/or flows of mud or water resulting from instability of mine slopes. This standard does not
apply to the excavation of trenches.

4.0 Element Requirements Accountability

4.1 Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control

Mine slope stability risk assessments and slope stability analysis must be performed Manager Mine
in order to ensure all mine slopes have adequate margins of safety considered in the Planning
mine design. To ensure adequate margins of safety, the following must be
considered:
 rock / soil type and properties
 presence or influence of mud
 ground water / surface water and ponding
 overall steepness of the mine slope
 bench heights
 width of benches
 sources, causes, and drop zones for rockfalls
Mine slopes that may have an increased risk of failure must have monitoring Department
prioritised and established using advice from: Managers (MOD)
 geotechnical and engineering sources
 expert or external resources
 mining operations
All activities performed near mine slopes, not covered by a Written Safe Work Procedure Department
must be subject to a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) in order to identify and control hazards Manager
posed by failure.
Changes to mine slope designs must be in accordance with Prima Nirbhaya 5.43 Manager Mine
Change Management. Planning

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Fatality Prevention Element
FPE 1.10 Mine Slope Safety

4.2 Selection, Training, Competency and Authorisation

Stability analysis and the interpretation of geotechnical data must be performed by Manager
personnel: Geology
 who are competent geotechnical engineers or engineering geologists
 who have been formally appointed
 with a minimum of seven years experience in mining operations or in equivalent
analysis and interpretation work
Personnel who collect geotechnical data must be appointed and deemed competent Manager
as a geotechnical technician. Geology
Personnel performing inspection and / or monitoring of mine slopes shall be Manager
competent to perform the tasks and have relevant operational experience. Geology
Personnel who develop JSA’s for tasks performed near mine slopes must: Department
Managers
 be instructed in the hazards associated with mine slope failure
 hold the pit worker permit
 be assessed as competent to perform a JSA
Only personnel holding a valid mine access KIMPER shall be authorised to perform Department
work activities within the mining areas. Superintendents

4.3 Communication and Awareness

Changes to mining practices or mining plans that may increase the assessed risks of Department
failure of mine slopes must be: Managers
 documented and / or plans updated
 communicated to personnel who may be affected
Awareness information and/or instruction must be provided to personnel who perform Department
work near mine slopes and include topics such as: Superintendents
 hazards associated with mine slope failure
 changes to work areas, conditions, or methods
 safe work procedures that are applicable for the tasks / areas
 requirements when working near mine slopes

4.4 Design, Purchase, Fabrication, Installation and Commissioning

The final design of slopes must minimise the likelihood of falling or unstable Geotechnical
material. Engineer
The design of mine slopes must include, as appropriate: Geotechnical
Engineer
 establishing basic mine slope design parameters using Geotechnical Guidelines
 Optimising the slope design to achieve improvement in mining efficiency without
reducing mine slope stability below acceptable limits
 The development of mine slopes must include as appropriate: Department
Manager
 construction of mine slopes in accordance with slope design parameters
 that approved designs are followed
 geotechnical stability and safety assessment, and if necessary back analysis of
failure or suspected instability during development
 the documentation of any changes to design required by actual conditions
 developing monitoring and inspection criteria and schedules

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Fatality Prevention Element
FPE 1.10 Mine Slope Safety
All mobile equipment working near a mine slope must be fitted with an Original Department
Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Falling Object Protection Structure (FOPS) (refer Managers
FPE Prima Nirbhaya 2.19 Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Condition).

4.5 Work Method and Condition Control

Personnel working near mine slopes must: Department
 Inspect the ground and face conditions for cracking, loose, or overhanging Supervisors
material before approaching, and if not satisfied that the slope is safe, avoid the
area and report.
 work behind the berm when working along the edges of highwalls.
 use fall prevention or protection equipment when there is a risk of falling whilst
working on the mine slope batter side of the bund (refer FPE Prima Nirbhaya
2.14 Working at heights)
 limit the time spent near the mine slope to reduce exposure to the risk of falling
material
Ensure that plant and equipment is not left unattended near a loose digging face, a Department
drop zone, or an area that may become a flowpath for water or mud Supervisors

4.6 Maintenance
Does not apply

4.7 Emergency Controls

Written Safe Work Procedures must be developed for dealing with equipment failure Department
near mine slopes. Managers

4.8 Monitoring, Inspections and Audits

Annual audits shall be performed to verify the quality and effectiveness of the General Manager
requirements set out in this standard. As a minimum this will include:
 schedules for audits
 audit verification of:
 quality of the JSA’s performed
 compliance to awareness requirements
 compliance to mine slope design
 communication and reporting requirements
The Geotechnical Guidelines must be reviewed and where necessary amended on a Manager
yearly basis Geology
Mine slopes identified, as having an increased risk of failure shall be subjected to Department
specialised monitoring. The monitoring program shall address the following: Manager
 development of procedures for the installation of monitoring equipment
 maintaining records of the monitoring data

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Fatality Prevention Element
FPE 1.10 Mine Slope Safety
The inspection of slopes and working areas must be undertaken on a daily basis, Department
after blasting operations, or following wet weather, and conditions recorded and Supervisor
logged where appropriate. Conditions to be identified include :
 tension cracks and/or lipping
 slope deterioration or deformation (batter, bench, or floor bulging or toe heave)
 surface settlement or subsidence
 toe or other seepage, surface water disappearance
Task observations must be performed in order to monitor compliance to the Department
requirements of this standard and must include: Superintendent
 Planned task observations against Written Safe Work Procedures
 PRINASA’s

4.9 Reporting, Assessment and Corrective Actions

Processes shall be in place for the reporting, assessment, and correction of hazards Department
compromising mine slope safety, and must address: Managers
 demarcation/barricading and communication of the hazard
 the recording of actions taken to correct the hazard
All reported slope related hazards must be recorded in a Mine Hazard Inventory, and Department
corrective action plans developed should analysis indicates a trend Managers
Any conditions identified that could result in mine slope failure shall be immediately Supervisors
reported to the Mine Geotechnical Superintendent, the affected areas barricaded,
contingency plans instigated, and corrective actions developed.

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Fatality Prevention Element
FPE 1.10 Mine Slope Safety

5.0 Glossary of Terms

Accountability The person designated to ensure that the assigned requirement is
implemented. This person is held liable and answerable to the level of
compliance against the stated requirement.
Authorised Permission granted by the relevant Manager or Nominee to carry out
specific tasks.
Batter An element of a mine slope formed by excavation or placement and having
a uniform inclination (the batter angle or batter in short form).
Bench An approximately flat surface with extent limited by adjacent batters and
formed by excavation of natural ground (see also berm and bund) (Note:
the term ‘berm’ may be used by some people to mean ‘bench’)
Berm An approximately flat surface with extent limited by adjacent batters and
formed using placed material (see also bench and bund). (Note: the term
‘bench’ may be used by some people to mean ‘berm’)
Bund A retaining structure (usually an embankment) formed to retain water or
mud.
Competent Person A person having a combination of training, education, experience, acquired
knowledge and skills enabling them with the capability to perform specified
tasks to a pre-determined quality that may be assessed against defined
criteria.
Contractor A firm or person employed under a contract to provide services to PT Kaltim
Prima Coal as distinct from a contract of employment
Crest The edge forming the top of a mine slope (slope crest), also the edge
forming the top of a batter (batter crest) (see also Toe)
Department Manager Is the person nominated by ............... as Manager under the organisational
structure, also the most senior position with a firm contracting work
to ................
Dilution Any non-coal material which becomes mixed with coal, resulting in the coal
having to be washed (when normally it would not) or wasted.
Drop Zone A distance extending from the toe of a batter or a mine slope, within which
rockfall impacts are possible and beyond which rockfall impacts are
considered very unlikely, as assessed by a competent geotechnical
engineer or engineering geologist.
Dump Face A mine slope where spoil or waste material is either dumped (truck) pushed
(dozer) or cast (shovel or excavator) so that it rills until it reaches a toe (see
also Tip Head and Mine Slope).
Endwall The mine slope forming the side limit of the pit in the direction along strike
(see also Highwall and Lowwall). An Endwall is normally excavated but may
be formed of dumped material.
Failure Movement of a mine slope that has the potential to cause hazards with
adverse consequences for health and safety of personnel, production,
equipment, and environment. Hazards include impacts of falling or rolling
rocks, sliding of rock or soil material, flow of mud or water, falls of personnel
and/or equipment into cracks or voids, and coverage or being trapped by
rock, soil, water or mud. (see also Stable and Unstable).
Falling Object (There must be an ISO standard for this – what does ............... rely on from
Protection System OEMs so that a FOPS is ‘approved’?)
(FOPS)
Highwall The excavated mine slope on the down dip side of a pit (see also Endwall
and Lowwall) and normally the highest overall mine slope in the pit from
crest to toe.

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Fatality Prevention Element
FPE 1.10 Mine Slope Safety
Loose Digging Face A component of a mine slope where material has been loosened by blasting
and is being dug by a shovel or excavator, or where digging is incomplete.
For the purposes of the Golden rules, a loose digging face has a minimum
height of 2 meters and minimum slope angel of 45 degrees (100%).
Lowwall A mine slope forming the up-dip limit of a pit (see also Highwall and
Endwall). A lowwall may be excavated, in which case bedding surfaces are
undercut and may slide down; or dumped, in which case loose rocks or a
dump mass may slide down.
Maintenance Work required to keep drainage, access roads, or other pit infrastructure in
acceptable working condition.
Mine Slope All of the ground from a distance away from the crest to a distance away
from the toe, that could be involved in or impacted by a potential failure (see
also Failure, Tip Head, and Dump Face).
Must Must is to be interpreted as mandatory. (The term ‘shall’ has this meaning in
English law (adopted in most English-speaking jurisdictions).
Near (a loose digging Within 1.5 times the height of the loose digging face from its toe. (eg loose
face) digging face height of 10m, working within 15m of the toe of the loose
digging face would be considered working near.
Operational Experience Is a person with a minimum of three years experience relating to the
planning, developing, operation, purchasing, inspecting or maintenance with
the particular (or compatible / equivalent type) equipment or process.
Potential to cause a A potential hazard that has been identified that if not properly controlled will
Fatality / Risk of a contribute to a fatal incident. This can be derived from previous fatal incident
fatality experience and /or identified by means of a risk assessment as having a
consequence for fatal injuries.
Rill, rills A rill is formed by spoil or waste material which slides and rolls down a
dump face under the action of gravity after being dumped, pushed, or cast.
The material rills down the dump face. (A rill batter is normally about 37
above horizontal, or about 3V:4H.)
Risk Assessment A risk assessment is the estimation of the level of risk associated with an
identified hazard and determination of the resources needed to control it.
Risk is the product of consequence and probability.
Stable No ground movement at a rate that requires maintenance or that indicates
potential for failure when assessed by a competent geotechnical engineer or
engineering geologist.
Tip Head A location where spoil or waste material is tipped from a truck so that it rills
down a dump face until it reaches a toe.
Toe The edge forming the base of all the sloping sections of a mine slope ( slope
toe), also the edge forming the base of a batter (batter toe) (see also Crest).
Unstable Ground movement at a rate that requires maintenance and/or that indicates
potential or actual failure when assessed by a competent geotechnical
engineer or engineering geologist.

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