Risk-based approach to keep industrial safety in the mining of gold-bearing ores

Gold is a strategically important resource, and the process of obtaining it from mineral raw materials remains the main one at present, which causes the intensive development of gold mining enterprises, both in the Russian Federation and in the world as a whole. The process of mining and processing of gold ores is invariably accompanied by a number of hazards that have their own specifics, caused by both the huge volumes of extracted ores and the specifics of their enrichment. Despite the development of technologies and modernization, the issue of industrial safety in the extraction of gold-bearing ores is still relevant. The main hazards include difficult climatic conditions, rock collapses, the use of hazardous substances in the technological process, etc. In the light of upcoming changes in legislation in the field of industrial safety, the introduction of the “Regulatory guillotine” mechanism, enterprises need to focus additional attention on improving their safety level, which is based on identifying and assessing risks, their sources, and developing measures to reduce or eliminate them. The article considers the implemented risk-based approach to ensuring industrial safety for gold miners using the example of the Olympiadinsky mining and processing plant of Polyus JSC. The main risks associated with employee injury, stages and directions of proactive and reactive work on risk management are presented. The process of forming a safety culture is shown in dynamics.

Konstantinova A.A., Merkulova A.M., Pereladov A.I., Chavkina L.Yu. Risk-based approach to keep industrial safety in the mining of gold-bearing ores. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2021;(2—1):100-112. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236-1493-2021-21-0-100-112.

Konstantinova A.A., Master, NUST “MISiS”, e-mail: ana.konstantinowa2012@yandex.ru;
Merkulova A.M., Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor, NUST “MISiS”, e-mail: anna-merkulova@yandex.ru;
Pereladov A.I., Director of occupational health, industrial safety and environmental protection JSC “Polyus Krasnoyarsk”, e-mail: lexx802@yandex.ru;
Chavkina L.Yu., Postgraduate student, Assistant, NUST “MISiS”, e-mail: filina_lyuda@ mail.ru.

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