Whenever miners are working near highwalls with machinery, there are often many challenges that require consistent safety protocols and regular equipment maintenance.

This is necessary to ensure the safety of the workers, along with the efficiency of the operations.

Highwall environments are generally associated with steep, unstable terrain. Constant risks can include falling debris, loose gravel, mechanical failure of complex machinery and more.

As a result, it is highly important for miners to maintain extreme attention to various safety hazards that might present themselves in these situations.

Best Practices

• Develop and follow a plan for the safe control of all highwalls where miners work and travel in close proximity to the highwall.

• Train miners to recognize highwall hazards.

• Conduct highwall examinations and ensure that hazards (loose rocks, overhangs, trees, etc.) are taken down or supported prior to work or travel near the highwall. Examine more frequently after rain, freezing and thawing.

• Scale highwalls to eliminate hazards, e.g. loose rocks or overhangs. Perform scaling from a position that will not expose miners to injury. Until hazards are corrected, place warning signs or barricades to prevent entry.

• Restrict highwall height to allowavailable equipment to safely scale the highwall. If benching is necessary, provide adequate bench width based on the type of equipment used for routine clearing or scaling operations.

• Develop blasting plans and use proper blasting techniques. Examine highwalls after blasting.

• Remove trees, vegetation and unconsolidated material a safe distance from the top edge of highwalls.

• Never park equipment, perform maintenance or store materials beneath highwalls.

• Use diversion ditches or slope the ground so that surface runoff drains away from highwalls.

Highwall Safety PDF for Downloading

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