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Assessment of Environmental Impacts of Different Mine Unit Operations on Mine Workers and the Workplaces: A Field-Based Investigation

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Abstract

Mine workers participating in various unit operations in mines like drilling, blasting, erection of supports for ground control, mucking and ore/waste transportation generally experience the direct exposure of the hazardous environmental aspects of mine workplace atmosphere which detrimentally influence their health and mind. The objectives of this investigation were to identify the harmful environmental aspects usually generated during the functioning of various events associated with the mine work cycle, measure their impact levels and prepare operational control procedures (OCP) to moderate their effects on mine workers. The study was conducted in an Indian trackless underground hard rock mine. The harmful environmental parameters like dust, noise, diesel fumes, oil spillage, etc. produced at various working faces during mine unit operations, viz. drilling, blasting, mucking and ore/waste transportation, were surveyed, and the effectiveness of their dispersion processes was examined separately. The time exposures of mine employees in a particular task at specified workplace were also studied. Considering relevant inputs from these field investigations, impact levels of various environmental aspects were calculated by following HAZOP (Hazard and operability study) methodology. The harmful aspects were then classified into significant/principal aspects (impact levels more than 15) and non-significant aspects (impact levels less than 15) according to their impact levels. A total number of 24 aspects associated with above-said mine unit operations were identified and their impact levels were determined by following the designed procedure. Out of 24 identified aspects, 12 aspects were classified as significant aspects considering higher values of impact levels, i.e. more than 15. The impact assessment explicitly revealed that the noise (with highest impact level 75) and dust (with highest impact level 75) have major impacts on drill operators, while persons involving in mucking and ore/waste transportation are significantly impacted by noise, dust and diesel fumes (with highest impact level 45). Noxious fumes/gasses are found as major harmful aspects for blasting operation (with impact level 25). After this, 12 numbers of operational control procedures (OCP) were devised and implemented for reducing the effects of significant aspects. It is expected that the severity level of significant aspects will reduce after judicious implementation of concern OCP. The reduction in impact levels of various environmental aspects will help the mine management to minimize the threat of notified diseases/mine occupational diseases like silicosis, pneumoconiosis, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and contact dermatitis caused by direct contact with chemicals, etc. to the individuals engaged in mining jobs.

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Acknowledgements

The author of this paper is extremely grateful to the environment and safety department of the case study mine for providing all technical supports during this study and making available necessary resources required for the study. The opinions substantiated in this paper are completely based on outcomes of various statistical analyses.

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The author is not involved with any relevant financial interests as no funding was received for conducting this study from any institutions.

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  1. Department of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, 769008, India

    Falguni Sarkar

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Sarkar, F. Assessment of Environmental Impacts of Different Mine Unit Operations on Mine Workers and the Workplaces: A Field-Based Investigation. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. D 104, 465–478 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-022-00432-z

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