UNSAFE MINING PRACTICES COST LIVES. PRACTICE SAFE MINING NOW.

FOLLOW GUIDELINES AND BE PARTICULARLY ALERT AND CAUTIOUS IN THE RAINY SEASON .

Call 639-5923 to speak to the Director of the Guyana Mining School and learn how the Guyana Mining School can offer you support to ensure your operations are safe.

The Rainy Season is HERE. MINERS the life you save can be your own.

Please follow these guidelines when mining.

Guidelines for working in Small and Medium Scale Open-Pit Mines

The measures outlined here are sensible, practical and are enforceable. The guidelines outlined are for operations where stripping and mining are undertaken by (i) hydraulicking only, (ii) earth moving equipment, such as excavators and bulldozers or (iii) a combination of (i) and (ii) . The guidelines address measures that should be taken by the operator when there is stripping of overburden and when there is mining of the pay dirt material.
Stripping (overburden removal) and Mining (extraction of pay dirt for processing)

(i) Stripping and mining by hydraulicking only (“bare dredge” operation)

• Hydraulicking (for stripping) should only be undertaken when the operator of the hydraulic monitor (“jetman”), “marack man” and other workers in the mining pit are positioned at a distance of at least 1 ½ times the height of the active mine face. This distance is measured from the toe of the active mine face to the location of the worker in the mining pit. If anyone of these workers is less than this recommended distance, then no hydraulicking of the mine face should be undertaken.
• If any of the pit workers has to remove some obstacles at a distance less than the recommended distance from the active mine face, then direct supervision of that person (s) in the area should be done by the GM until the said person has removed from the “unsafe” area. If the GM is not at the site to personally observe the work of the persons in the “unsafe” area of the mining pit, then no person should conduct work in this area.
• Undercutting of the working face is usually done by hydraulicking. However this should be done at or beyond the recommended distance from the active mine face to prevent injuries and death by uncontrolled slumping of pit wall material.
• The stability of any waste material piles or dumps should be ensured. Any unstable ground should be isolated by the GM and the Mines Officer, using caution tape around the area, warning signs posted around area, etc. The area should not be worked until it is stabilized to the satisfaction of the Mines Officer.
• Trees and overburden close to the rim of the mine pits should be removed so that the tallest tree close to the mine pit if felled should not injure workers in the pit. Hydraulic monitors should not be used to fell or de-bush trees.
• Mining pit must have an appropriate layout where pit workers can easily enter and exit the mining pit, especially in cases of emergency.
• The GM should ensure that persons who are in his employ are physically and mentally fit and should not be working under the influence of illicit drugs.
• Daily inspection of the pit walls and the crest of the mining pit should be done and recorded by the GM. The person should look for cracks, seepage, sloughing, etc.
• An ‘Incident occurrence’ book should be available for recording of ‘near misses’ and accidents at the mine site. Workers should report these incidents to the GM and the GM is obligated to record these incidents in the book to be kept at the mine site. The book should be available for inspection by the Mines Officer.
• “Pep talk” on safety in the mining operation should be done on a regular basis by the GM.
• Tailings dams retaining large volume of water should not be mined, unless first made safe with the gradual release of the water and the unconsolidated material.

(ii) Stripping and mining by earth moving equipment

• When benching, consideration should be given to risks imposed to pit wall stability by fractures, seepage of water along/through pit walls, gradation of materials, surface subsidence impacts, etc.
• Pit slopes should be made stable by sloping them at the angle of repose of the material that is being mined or stripped.
• Bench height should not exceed the reach or digging depth of the excavator.
• Undercutting of the working face should not be allowed. This is an extremely dangerous practice that can quickly cause accidental death by slumped material covering exposed workers.
• Loose material or soil on edge (s) of the active or bench that could create danger to persons working in the pit must be removed or scaled.
• The stability of any waste material piles or dumps should be ensured and unstable ground must be isolated until it is stabilized.
• Trees and loose overburden close to the rim of the mine pits should be removed.
• High pit faces should not be worked without benches.
• Overburden should be transported to an area where there should be no need for the re-handling of the material. This would reduce the overall stripping cost.
• Mining pit must have an appropriate layout where pit workers can easily enter and exit the mining pit, especially in cases of emergency.
• The GM should ensure that persons who are in his employ are physically and mentally fit and should not be working under the influence of illicit drugs.
• Daily inspection of the pit walls and the crest of the mining pit should be done and recorded by the GM. The person should look for cracks, seepage, sloughing, etc.
• An ‘Incident occurrence’ book should be available for recording of ‘near misses’ and accidents at the mine site. Workers should report these incidents to the GM and the GM is obligated to record these incidents in the book to be kept at the mine site. The book should be available for inspection by the Mines Officer.
• “Pep talk” on safety in the mining operation should be done on a regular basis by the GM.
• Tailings dams retaining large volume of water should not be mined, unless first made safe with the gradual release of the water and the unconsolidated material.

(iii) Stripping and mining by hydraulicking and earth moving equipment

• Benching should be undertaken. Consideration should be given to risks imposed to pit wall stability. These include fractures, seepage of water along/through pit walls, gradation of materials, surface subsidence impacts, etc.
• Pit slopes should be made stable by sloping them at the angle of repose of the material that is being mined or stripped.
• The stability of any waste material piles or dumps should be ensured. Any unstable ground should be isolated by the GM and the Mines Officer, using caution tape around the area, warning signs posted around area, etc. The area should not be worked until it is stabilized to the satisfaction of the Mines Officer.
• Trees and overburden close to the rim of the mine pits should be removed so that the tallest tree close to the mine pit if felled should not injure workers in the pit. Hydraulic monitors should not be used to fell or de-bush trees.
• Mining pit must have an appropriate layout where pit workers can easily enter and exit the mining pit, especially in cases of emergency.
• The GM should ensure that persons who are in his employ are physically and mentally fit and should not be working under the influence of illicit drugs.
• Daily inspection of the pit walls and the crest of the mining pit should be done and recorded by the GM. The person should look for cracks, seepage, sloughing, etc.
• An ‘Incident occurrence’ book should be available for recording of ‘near misses’ and accidents at the mine site. Workers should report these incidents to the GM and the GM is obligated to record these incidents in the book to be kept at the mine site. The book should be available for inspection by the Mines Officer.
• “Pep talk” on safety in the mining operation should be done on a regular basis by the GM.
• Tailings dams retaining large volume of water should not be mined, unless first made safe with the gradual release of the water and the unconsolidated material.

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Classes are currently suspended due to COVID 19, but we will be posting videos and educational materials on Mine Safety on the facebook page of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Guyana Mining School and Training Centre Inc.