Guidelines, Standards and Best Practice for Seismic Hazard Assessment and Rockburst Risk Management in South African Mines

Authors: Durrheim, RJ; Cichowicz, A; Ebrahim-Trollope, R; Essrich, F; Goldbach, O; Linzer, LM; Spottiswoode, SM; Stankiewicz, T

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/711_18

Cite As:
Durrheim, RJ, Cichowicz, A, Ebrahim-Trollope, R, Essrich, F, Goldbach, O, Linzer, LM, Spottiswoode, SM & Stankiewicz, T 2007, 'Guidelines, Standards and Best Practice for Seismic Hazard Assessment and Rockburst Risk Management in South African Mines', in Y Potvin (ed.), Deep Mining 2007: Proceedings of the Fourth International Seminar on Deep and High Stress Mining, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 249-261, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/711_18

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Abstract:
Seismic monitoring, analysis and interpretation are key components of the hazard assessment and risk management system on rockburst-prone mines. The Mine Health and Safety Council commissioned a task as part of the project “Minimising the rockburst risk” (SIM050302) to review current practice on South African mines and to formulate standards, guidelines, and descriptions of best practice. Standards were set for some areas of mine seismology practice such as network design and emergency response. In other areas of practice, such as data processing, it was only possible to provide guidelines. In yet other areas of practice, such as seismic hazard assessment and risk management, most methods currently in use have not been rigorously evaluated and validated. Many methods rely, to a greater or lesser extent, on local experience and subjective judgement. Tacit knowledge still has to be translated into explicit guidelines and procedures. It is thus deemed premature to set standards, or even firm guidelines. Current practice is described, and methods to evaluate the procedures are proposed.

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