Safety and mining go hand in hand. With the majority of work being performed in high-pressure environments for long hours at a time and in remote locations, there are a number of factors to consider when thinking about the health, safety and well-being of all on site.

In this month’s edition, we explore the importance of incorporating safety in design and why safety measures must be featured prominently throughout the entirety of a project, from concept to closure.

Design optimisation is frequently front of mind when designing a mining project. However, in an industry with a high potential of risk, it is of the utmost importance that we, as geotechnical engineers, place higher value on incorporating safety measures in the design process to ensure the safety of workers on a mine site.

Scott Lines, Senior Geotechnical Engineer at Red Earth Engineering, discusses how safety must be prioritised in every phase of operations, including from the conceptual to the detailed design phase, and provides key tips on how to incorporate the essential safety measures in design to best prepare for the common pitfalls.