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Groundfall hazards assessment methodology to minimize the number of fatal accidents in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM): a case study of Peruvian mining
Navia Vasquez, Carolina
Navia Vasquez, Carolina
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2021
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Abstract
In Peru, mining plays an important role in the economy because it generates employment and
contributes 10% to the gross domestic product (GDP). The artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector
represents 85% of the Peruvian mining workforce (500,000 workers), and about 28% of Peru’s gold
production comes from this sector, which is mostly informal. Groundfall is one of the main causes of fatal
accidents in ASM,because hazards are often not properly identified, and the miners do not always
understand the associated risks . Relative to other mining scenarios, in the context of ASM, groundfall
risks are even more challenging to manage due to limited equipment and training. Rock quality
classifications and other geomechanical hazard assessment techniques can help mitigate against groundfall,
but these tasks are not easy to conduct in ASM, often because the miners lack the necessary field
experience to properly apply subjective qualitative descriptions to correctly describe the quality of the rock
mass and determine the associated risks.The primary objective of this study is to identify geomechanical
and operational factors that lead to groundfall in Peruvian mines, including artisanal and small-scale
mines. A second objective is to identify human behavioral factors that contribute to accidents and
fatalities due to groundfall. A third objective is to use the identified geomechanical characteristics and
human behavioral factors to develop a preliminary risk assessment matrix for injuries and fatalities due to
groundfall. The methodology used incorporates critical geomechanical, operational, and design groundfall
hazards identified in the field; it also incorporates information from fatality reports between 2013 and 2019
from the Peruvian Supervisory Agency for investment in Energy and Mining. The thesis outlines the
workflow of a proposed groundfall risk assessment methodology which could be adopted and applied
elsewhere outside Peru. The results indicate that behavioral factors such as age and time of service have a
notable influence on fatality rates due to groundfall in the Peruvian mining industry. In addition, common
geomechanical, design, and operational factors likely to cause groundfall are identified. An, additional
contribution of this research is the generation of a new database based on information collected and
translated from Spanish from 44 fatality reports obtained from the Peruvian Minister of Energy and
Mining from 2013 to 2019. The potential impact of this work is to reduce geotechnical hazards and
improve mine safety in ASM operations based on in-situ data collection and statistical analysis.
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