Materiały konferencyjne SEP 1993 - tom 2

Włodzimierz K. Rymon-Lipinski Methods undertaken In South African mines to ameliorate the hazard of rockbursts and the role of the government mining engineer's office to improve safety in mines 1. Introduction South Africa is an area rich in the culture of its people, the variety and beauty of its countryside and the extent of its natura! resource. It is also area with a long tradition of rock mechanics in the fields of both mining and civil engineering. Rock mechanics research and practice has reached a high level in South Africa. one of the countries in which some of the early pioneering rock mechanics work took place. Many significant developments in rock mechanics have been initiated in South Africa» and the country is still a leader in some areas of rock mechanics. However, the inability to overcome the rockburst problem represents one of the major challenges to the rock mechanics fratemity in the area. The South African gold mining industry, especially, has been characterized by a continuing need for technological innovation to solve the increasingly complex problems met with as mining goes to greater depths. The deepest operations now reach well below 3,5 km and planning is in progress for mining at 5 km. At these depths virgin rock temperatures exceed 70 "C, while the unpredictable behavior of the rock is still the major cause of injuries and fatalities. Thus the major need for the mining industry, from the rock engineering point of view, is to endure the safety of minc employees while promoting maximum profitable extraction methods. Mine safety relies on extensive knowledge of established safe mining principles and practices. It reąuires constant vigilance on the part of both mineworkers and mine management. The Departament of Minerał and Energy Affairs (DMEA) - Govemment Mining Engineer's Office division operates the South African Mines' Reportable Accident Statistics System (SAMRASS). The system has been in operatlon for almost four years. Sekcja III 111