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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Highwall stability is essential for open-cut mining. In these particular projects, otherwise known as open-pit mining, employs a technique in which rock and minerals are extracted from a borrow pit, or sandbox. For long-term highwall performance, the substance properties that makeup mining sites—or more specifically, the rocks and minerals found within the borrow—should be carefully examined, and the overall highwall safety considered.What, exactly, are highwalls and highwall mining? Highwall is the unexcavated face of exposed overburden and coal in a surface mine. Additionally, highwall mining is another technique within mining practices sometimes conducted to recover additional coal. Presplit blasting facilitates highwall integrity and highwall safety. Learn more below.Highwall HazardsPit and Quarry notes there are several things that can prove hazardous in mining that involves highwalls. Geological structures can influence highwall stability. Other factors include how strong the rock mass is. Weathering, water inflow, surface drainage, and erosion can make highwalls unstable. Unsafe drilling and blasting procedures can undermine highwalls. Geotechnical data should be reviewed and modified. If this is not complete or the review is done by inexperienced civil engineers or geologists, highwall instability and rock-fall hazards can occur.Ground instabilities can cause falling rock. Using heavy equipment can crumble highwalls and/or send falling rock onto work areas. Failure to control rockfall with rock-fall fences or barriers may result in injuries and highwall disintegration. If rock debris is not contained or removed, the workplace may become unsafe.What Can Go Wrong?Although it may look as stable as Mount Rushmore, by its very nature and purpose, a highwall can collapse without warning. People and machines may be buried in an instant. Highwall safety, therefore, is one of the most important aspects of overall mine safety. Continued testing, oversight, and maintenance will help ensure the integrity of highwalls at any one specific project or location. Working with an experienced team of mining specialists, like American Mine Services, can help mitigate risks and hazards.If highwalls are being carefully monitored, wall failures can be prevented. Early detection allows mining personnel to plan and execute appropriate actions to prevent wall failures. Early detection saves time, money, and lives.Who is at Risk?The people most at risk in highwall problems include operators of mining machinery, surveyors, geologists, and mining engineers.How to Spot a Potential HazardConstant vigilance is required to spot potential dangers and make corrections before a disaster occurs. Mining staff looks for structural weaknesses in the rock. Any
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