❓ A WA parliamentary question probes the Department of Industry and Resources' approach to safety in old mine workings, questioning why inspections are not conducted and resources are not allocated to assess hazards in abandoned sites. The Minister responds that the hazards are well known and that the department has never been resourced to investigate and map old workings.
AnsweredQoN 658Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer question on notice No. 332 of November 27 2002 and answers provided -
(1) Can the Minister state why the entry to old workings is hazardous and a specialised undertaking given that inspectors from the Department of Industry and Resources supposedly regularly visit and go underground at prospectors/small scale old workings throughout the state?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) Can the Minister state if the Department of Industry and Resources formerly the Department of Minerals and Energy or the Department of Mines has ever been resourced to be able to investigate and map old workings and mine shafts to assess the dangers or hazards posed?
(4) If no to (3), why not?
(5) If yes to (3), can the Minister state the year and why these resources were taken away or diminished from the department?
(1) Can the Minister state why the entry to old workings is hazardous and a specialised undertaking given that inspectors from the Department of Industry and Resources supposedly regularly visit and go underground at prospectors/small scale old workings throughout the state?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) Can the Minister state if the Department of Industry and Resources formerly the Department of Minerals and Energy or the Department of Mines has ever been resourced to be able to investigate and map old workings and mine shafts to assess the dangers or hazards posed?
(4) If no to (3), why not?
(5) If yes to (3), can the Minister state the year and why these resources were taken away or diminished from the department?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
8 May 2003
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for State Development
Response time
29 days
(1) The hazards associated with old, abandoned mine workings are well known and include:– - The propensity for the rock surrounding excavations to deteriorate with time, leading to risks of rock falls. This is often compounded by the decay of old timber supports. - The potential for accumulations of water which may present a drowning hazard or be released in an unpredictable fashion. - The potential for venomous fauna to use abandoned mining excavations as habitat. - The potential for the evolution of toxic or asphyxiant gases and the depletion of oxygen from an unventilated, abandoned mine atmosphere due to natural processes over time. These and other potential hazards dictate that entry to such workings be dealt with as a specialised undertaking. While inspectors of mines routinely inspect the current workings of small-scale prospector operations, they do not conduct such inspections of abandoned workings. (2) Not applicable (3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
- The propensity for the rock surrounding excavations to deteriorate with time, leading to risks of rock falls. This is often compounded by the decay of old timber supports. - The potential for accumulations of water which may present a drowning hazard or be released in an unpredictable fashion. - The potential for venomous fauna to use abandoned mining excavations as habitat. - The potential for the evolution of toxic or asphyxiant gases and the depletion of oxygen from an unventilated, abandoned mine atmosphere due to natural processes over time. These and other potential hazards dictate that entry to such workings be dealt with as a specialised undertaking. While inspectors of mines routinely inspect the current workings of small-scale prospector operations, they do not conduct such inspections of abandoned workings. (2) Not applicable (3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
These and other potential hazards dictate that entry to such workings be dealt with as a specialised undertaking. While inspectors of mines routinely inspect the current workings of small-scale prospector operations, they do not conduct such inspections of abandoned workings. (2) Not applicable (3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
(2) Not applicable (3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
(3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
(4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
(5) Not applicable
- The propensity for the rock surrounding excavations to deteriorate with time, leading to risks of rock falls. This is often compounded by the decay of old timber supports. - The potential for accumulations of water which may present a drowning hazard or be released in an unpredictable fashion. - The potential for venomous fauna to use abandoned mining excavations as habitat. - The potential for the evolution of toxic or asphyxiant gases and the depletion of oxygen from an unventilated, abandoned mine atmosphere due to natural processes over time. These and other potential hazards dictate that entry to such workings be dealt with as a specialised undertaking. While inspectors of mines routinely inspect the current workings of small-scale prospector operations, they do not conduct such inspections of abandoned workings. (2) Not applicable (3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
These and other potential hazards dictate that entry to such workings be dealt with as a specialised undertaking. While inspectors of mines routinely inspect the current workings of small-scale prospector operations, they do not conduct such inspections of abandoned workings. (2) Not applicable (3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
(2) Not applicable (3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
(3) The Department and its predecessors has never been resourced to carry out detailed investigations and mapping of old workings and mine shafts to assess changes or hazards. (4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
(4) The extent and the variety of resources and the specialist skills which may be required only on a very infrequent basis, but would still have to be maintained at a high level to ensure the safety of operations, make this an uneconomic proposition. In the case of need, the Department could, if appropriate, access the necessary skills and equipment via a voluntary or commercial arrangement with operators in the minerals industry who provide and maintain such resources and skills as an emergency service to their own operations. (5) Not applicable
(5) Not applicable
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