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µg/m3
Micrograms per cubic metre.
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Accident, environmental
An unintended event that results in loss to the environment above an acceptable level/threshold limit.
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Air-blast over pressure
Increased air pressure (above normal atmospheric), based on the explosion of unconfined charges.
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Ancillary Equipment
Mining equipment that is not directly related to drilling holes or shifting material. Examples of ancillary equipment include graders, dozers, water trucks, excavators and drill rigs.
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ANFO
A surface mine explosive consisting of a mixture of Ammonium Nitrate and Fuel Oil. It consists of a mixture of 8 percent (by weight) fuel oil to ammonium nitrate. This is the standard explosive used in surface mining. ANFO belongs to the class of explosives known as Bulk Explosives.
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AS/NZS
Australian/New Zealand
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Aspect, environmental
Element of an organisation’s activities, products or services that can interact with the environment. Department of Conservation and Land Management.
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Backfill
Material that is dumped in a hole in order to fill it up. The hole may be an RC hole used for Grade Control or Resource Definition, in which case only a small amount of fine material (typically cracker dust) is required, or it may be an old stope or shaft, where large, blasted material is used. Stope fill may also be referred to as Backfill.
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Baiting Holes
This is one of the steps in charging blast holes. A detonator is fed into a primer and they are both lowered down the hole until they are a certain distance from the bottom. A signal tube runs from the detonator to the top of the hole. Once a hole is baited, it can be loaded with bulk explosive
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Basalt
One of the major rock types of the golden mile.
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Batter
The inward sloping face of a pit wall between berms.
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BCM
Bank Cubic Metre. A measure of volume representing a cubic metre of in-situ rock. See also LCM.
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Beacon
Vehicle roof mounted revolving light. The beacon, or flashing light, is used on light vehicles to attract attention when driving around the operations. See also Strobe.
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Bench
A ledge, which, in open cut mines, forms a single level of operation from which ore or waste materials are excavated. The ore or waste material is removed in successive layers, each of which is a bench. Several of these benches may be mined simultaneously in different parts of, and at different elevations in the open cut mine.
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Bench Height
The height of the bench face, or bank of rock, that is extracted in one pass. Benches therefore occur at regular intervals separated by a given bench height. The normal bench height in use at KCGM is 10 metres
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Berm or Catch Berm
A predetermined width of bench left behind at intervals on pit walls. These berms aid in the overall stability of the pit walls by reducing the vertical angle, or Wall Angle, of the walls. The berms also increase safety by catching material that may be dislodged from higher up the wall.
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Black & White Tape
Tape used, in conjunction with red bollards, to mark out areas of old workings where there is a lower risk of subsidence. Vehicles fitted with ROPS cabs, or heavy machinery can cross these areas, but light vehicles and pedestrians are not permitted to enter.
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Black Flag Beds
A mixture of black shales and porphyries that lie along the Kalgoorlie Fault, forming a wide zone of relatively less stable rock. The black shales are Preg Robbing and are detrimental to the gold extraction process.
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Blast
1. A Blast is a pre-defined area of the bench that is treated as a single unit for many mining purposes. Each blast is numbered and provides a means for personnel to refer to a specific area. A blast may also be refereed to as a Shot. Eg. “The blast is marked up and ready to be dug.”
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Blast Hole
A vertical or nearly vertical hole drilled into the rock to allow explosives to be inserted. Blast holes at KCGM range from 89mm to 165 mm in diameter and are around 11.5 metres deep.
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