All mine pits must stay clear by two lengths of the tallest tree.

Benching must be practiced, with the maximum height of benches not exceeding 10 feet. THE WIDTH OF THE BENCH MUST BE AT LEAST 1.5 TO 2.0 TIMES THE HEIGHT OF THE BENCH.

A mine pit must have an entrance and exit points, to cater for emergency escape.

Daily inspection of the rim of the mine pit and the top surface of the pit must be done to check for cracks within the ground, which can indicate a developing failure surface within the mine.

Check within the mine face for any signs of tension cracks which can result in sudden failure, particularly when it rains consistently.

When it rains heavily and fills the mine pit with water, no mining can occur.

This results in loss of income for a few days.But it also creates a HAZARD.

Due to the level of saturation or "water soaking" of the ground both on the surface of the mine face and within the ground, the soil may appear to be stable and upright, but will collapse suddenly with any change in applied forces.

Miners, be extremely careful, as you "pump" out your pits after 3 to 5 days of rainfall. The rate at which you pump or drawn down the water in the pit, greatly exceeds the rate a which the pore water pressure within the ground is adjusted or dissipated, to cater for this sudden draw down due to the pumping action within the pit.

What this causes, is the setting up of a dangerous environment for the pit wall to collapse with greater force and and for the soil to move greater distances, within the pit.

HENCE, as miners, pump out their pits and are eager to begin to restart mining operations, please follow the following advice from the Guyana Mining School:
1) ensure that benches are adequately designed and prepared by a competent Engineer,
2) "jet men and marack men" should be at a safe distance from the active mine face ( which will collapse as a result of jetting operations, but will collapse with greater force and travel further distance, potentially trapping persons in the path of the slurry/ mud within the pit,leading to fatality by suffocation through cover down with slurry and mud),
3) stand at a distance that is least two times the height of the bench you are mining,
4) the total pit depth should not be more than 10 feet if you are working tailing ( loose sandy) materials i.e from the top of the pit to the bottom of the pit should not exceed 10 feet- persons working tailing must stand at least 15 to 20 feet away from the bottom of the pit i.e from its toe,
5) their must be adequate clearance and room on the floor of the mine pit with at least 3 to 5 times the the height of the mine pit from all sides,
6) PRACTICE SAFETY AT ALL TIMES AND PREVENT ACCIDENTS IN THE MINE PIT.

To register for classes with the Guyana Mining School email us at :
guyanaminingschool@gmail.com

We will send you a registration form by email.

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.