A guide to leading practice sustainable development in mining

tailings disposal techniques continue to evolve such
as in in-pit or thickened discharge methods
the safe storage and handling of cyanide and other hazardous substances is now
well established with much guidance material available for mine management.
Introduction
Mining operations in Australia and internationally cover a range of commodities,
sizes, and methodologies. The Australian minerals sector is in the top five producers
of most of the world’s key minerals commodities including
The world’s leading producer of bauxite, alumina, rutile, and tantalum.
The second largest producer of lead, ilmenite, zircon and lithium.
The third largest producer of iron ore, uranium, and zinc.
The fourth largest producer of black coal, gold, manganese and nickel.
The fifth largest producer of aluminium, brown coal,
diamonds, silver and copper (MCA).
Australian mining methods range from surface mining that may include strip
mining with draglines; truck and shovel or conventional open pits; and alluvial or
placer mining, including dredging for mineral sands, precious metals and gems.
Underground coal mining ranges from longwall and bord and pillar while caving and
stoping methods are most common in hard rock mining. Apart from “mining”, this
chapter will also highlight sustainability issues associated with mineral processing,
metallurgical operations and occasionally refinery operations.
Each of these methods may result in significant potential impacts on the sustainability
of mining operations and thus each operation demands the highest level of
management skills to minimise any negative impacts. This Chapter covers leading
practice in sustainability during the production or operations stage of the mining cycle.
It is during this phase that the benefits or costs of the planning decisions implemented
during the earlier phases are realised. This is also the phase of mining where the
greatest potential impacts on the environment and the community occur.
Airborne Contaminants, Noise and Vibration
A recent newspaper article (Safe, 2009) highlighted the issue of noise and its
impacts, both real and perceived on the local community. The article detailed the
recent formation of an anti-noise lobby group – Noise Watch Australia. One featured
case involved a retiree who moved to a heavily timbered block some distance from
a capital city. A sawmill increased its production to 24 hours, 7 days a week. In
his words, “the noise drove us darn crazy” and consequently he sold up. Another
complainant stated “the growth of noise in communities across Australia is still not
recognized for what it is – another form of pollution that’s having serious health
impacts on many people”. The World Health Organisation was quoted in the article
as saying that up to three per cent of heart disease deaths, or more than 200,000
globally, are due to long time exposure to chronic traffic noise.
88 LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY