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There are three major human resource management activities which, depending on how well they are done, impact on the performance of people and therefore the bottom line. These are: ò recruitment; ò training and development; and ò performance appraisal. Most sizeable organisations would say they are involved in all three, but there are many more that would admit that their human resource management practices are limited to recruitment. If we concentrate on the organisations that currently undertake all three, we have to ask, `Are they using different systems/benchmarks for each activity, or is there congruence between the activities?'. Our experience is that most organisations use different systems/benchmarks. The end result is: ò one set of criteria to recruit staff; ò another to identify their training needs; ò and yet another set of criteria to measure their staff's Performance.

Jan 1, 1995

By Gillies A. D S

Technology transfer is a vital requirement for increasing national capability of coal mine production in Indonesia. The term can cover the introduction of new equipment, facilities and processes and approaches to training and education. Constraints on technology transfer within the Indonesian coal mining industry are reviewed. The contributions that foreign companies working within the industry can make are discussed. It is concluded that the development of major Indonesian coal mines needs input of advanced foreign technology. The foreign mining companies are investing significant capital in operations and are permitted to import outside expertise due to some lack of national skills. Expatriate employees are expensive and have a direct effect on profitability. The success of any replacement program of foreign employees is dependent on technology transfer. There are statutory Indonesian Government directions to reduce dependency on foreign expertise over time.

Jan 1, 1995

Aberfoyle sought to reduce Hellyer project development risk to a greater degree than usual. Consequently the ore reserves estimate and feasibility study were particularly comprehensive. A detailed ore reserve study was completed based on extensive drill core and underground sampling, large scale pilot plant work and a detailed feasibility study. Leading external consultants were used for advice on commercial matters which impact on ore reserves and to audit major technical conclusions, including the results from pilot plant work and the ore reserve estimate. Other project risks were diminished by negotiating a State agreement covering security of title, royalty formula and environmental management procedures, by obtaining sales contracts, and by analysing Hellyer's position on an industry cost curve. The task of financing the project was much simplified by the extent and quality of information available from the ore reserves estimate and feasibility study report.

Jan 1, 1990

In preparation of this Paper, the emphasis has been laid on the commercial rather than on the technical and scientific aspects of coal evaluation. It is intended to describe and comment on the principal factors which currently determine the selection and procurement of coking coal for the steel industry, and is not based on the results of any original research by the author. Evaluation of different coals for strictly thermal uses, for gas production or other chemical applications has not been attempted, and comparisons of coal with other fuels have been excluded: the paper is concerned only with coals for the production of blast furnace coke. The discussion is strongly related to, and illustrated by, British, and to some extent, other Western European practice, but it is hoped that the general conclusions may have a wider application.

Jan 1, 1975

In 1874 a stockman, JE Wright of Foxlow Station, recognised copper mineralisation when he was about 12 kilometres south of the station. The find was on the banks of the Molonglo River. Several small mines were soon operating along the ridge above the river, and the village of Captain's Flat was established.One mining company established in the 1880s was Lake George Mines. It's name was to remain synonomous with the name of the town until mining and treatment ceased on 11 March 1962.

Jan 1, 1993

A resume covering currently accepted views on blasting vibration measurement, human response, and criteria for damage is presented as background information for readers who are not conversant with blasting vibrations. This is followed by sections on vibration level estimation and blasting techniques to control vibration. Emphasis is placed on making use of the scatter in the delay intervals of half-second delay detonators, the use of smaller explosive charges for early delay numbers, and the non- use of zero-delay (instantaneous) detonators in cer`a. n cases.

Jan 1, 1976

By T J. Sheer

The removal of airborne pollutants from underground ventilating air is discussed. The work concentrates on the removal of CO, CO2, NOx, SO2, radon gas and respirable carbon particles. The investigation combines techniques for multiple contaminant removal using forced chemical absorption and oxidation. Both dry and wet scrubbing techniques are employed. Mixed success has been achieved in the tests carried out and this paper is seen as a progress report on the work done to date. The interference and interaction of the gases on the individual removal efficiencies is a very important factor in the finalisation of a macro air conditioner (MAC) design for treating underground ventilating air. This necessitates a specific sequence of contaminant removal. Efficiencies are discussed and recommendations made. Wet forced chemical absorption and oxidation processes, though efficient in terms of removal efficiencies, cannot be employed in the confined underground environment due to safety and health risks. Impacts on the internal water reticulation systems of the mine have been analysed to determine the effect of future large-scale macro air conditioning practices, including blow-off liquids discharged into the water circuits. To engineer the safety and health risks out of such designs can be costly and it is for these reasons the research now concentrates on dry scrubbing of the contaminants from the underground ventilating air. The paper concludes with statements on the benefits of macro air conditioning in deep hot mines, in both recirculating and series air ventilation distribution strategies. These benefits include reduced re-entry times after blasting and increased production rate opportunities.

Jan 1, 2005

By Gao H

Based on the author's research and plant practice experience of the last decade, several technological approaches have been developed to increase the recovery of gold and silver associated with sulphides. This paper gives a general discussion of some technological problems encountered in this area in five aspects and introduces the different approaches employed in three typical mineral processing plants to increase recovery of associated gold and silver. On the basis of studying occurrence characteristics of gold and silver minerals in sulphide ores and of determining loss locations of gold and silver on flotation process, a remarkable improvement on the recovery of gold and silver in all these three plants was made by choosing proper grinding fineness, using combined collectors of good selectivity, properly decreasing the grade of main metal concentrates, making reasonable arrangement of the products of main metals, or a combination thereof.

Jan 1, 1993

Australian coal mines have spent considerable capital on dragline improvements over the last two years. This has included ~$30 M on UDD conversions, >$20 M on new buckets, boom upgrades, electrical upgrades, etc. This is a natural part of the response of mining companies to technology and replacement programs. Capital expenditure is a normal part of the ongoing success of most companies. There is however, a tendency for some people to rely on the capital alone to provide the ongoing improvements in equipment productivity. Implementing new technology through capital expenditure is only part of the equation in continuous improvement. For 80 - 90 per cent of the year, the operator controls the productivity achieved by the dragline. Variation between operators is huge. The average standard deviation in productivity is 12 per cent and maintenance impact is over 40 per cent. Robbins 2003, states: Contrary to what we were taught in grade school, we werenÆt all created equal. Most of us are to the left of the median on some normally distributed ability curve. Further, he states: The issue is knowing how people differ in abilities and using that knowledge to increase the likelihood that an employee will perform his or her job well. There are two options for reducing variability between operators; improving operator ability and getting the machine to take over what the operator is doing (automation). Dragline automation will be discussed, however, this paper will focus more on the æhuman factorÆ and how to establish a dragline with minimum variability between operators.

Jan 1, 2005

Traditional methods for monitoring, and hence controlling, pyrometallurgical processes rely heavily upon the skill and experience of operators. A skilled operator will usually achieve consistent, though often conservative, results, whilst an un-skilled operator will require considerable time and training to achieve the same results. Semtech Metallurgy AB have demonstrated that continuous and precise control of pyrometallurgical processes can be achieved through on-line analysis of pyrometallurgical flame off-gas using optical spectroscopy. The feasibility of the technology has been demonstrated on a large number of full-scale tests at production plants and by several commercial installations. Evidence suggests that installation of this technology, called Semtech Optical Production Control (OPC), has resulted in considerable economic benefits to the plant efficiency and asset life. These economic benefits are believed to be a direct result of improved objective on-line control. Technically the following benefits have been demonstrated: improved metal grade control, reduced metal losses, reduced processing time, and improved personnel safety. SemtechÆs OPC is a non-intrusive technology which relies on the fact that the composition of the vapour phase above a high temperature melt is closely related to the instantaneous status of the melt. This enables on-line real-time analysis of the furnace melt to accurately determine melt status and in particular reaction endpoints. Originally developed for on-line monitoring of copper converting in a Pierce-Smith vessel the field of applications for the technology is steadily growing. This paper introduces the Semtech OPC technology; discusses various applications and outlines the demonstrated benefits.

Jan 1, 2002

By Menne DM

The carbon-in-pulp (CIp)process has become well accepted and firmly established in the gold industry of South Africa and, at this stage, six large CIP plants are treating close to I million metric tons of material per month. Many small operators are also using CIP and additional large plants are either nearing completion, are on the drawing boards,. or are being considered. The programme of testwork that preceded the acceptance of the CIP process in South Africa was conducted over some eight years and has been previously described'-7. With the start-up of the President Brand CIP plant on 'calcine' in July 1980 and that of the Western Areas CIP plant on repulped filter residues in September 1980, the emphasis on the CIP process switched from pilot plants to these large plants - and has largely remained there. As it has started up, each new CIP plant benefited from the experience gained and the developments made, on earlier plants but, since so few plants have so far been established in South Africa, each new plant and each new design has revealed a further set of conditions to be met and problems to be overcome. However, in the highly collaborative atmosphere of the South African gold-mining industry, the results and observations from the operation of these first plants were shared by all mining groups. This paper will attempt to describe typical developments on, and results obtained from, these new large plants, and will incorporate significant results from the earlier laboratory and pilot-plant investigations.,

Jan 1, 1982

The competitiveness and future growth of the Australian mineral resources industry face a number of challenges. The paper addresses key factors likely to influence the attainment of high performance and continuous improvement including organisational leadership, management/employee relations, technology, safety, health and the environment. Business practices such as benchmarking, Total Quality Management and re-engineering to achieve process and performance improvements are commented on. Future success for the industry will largely hinge on global business skills, a sustained focus on Quality principles and achieving performance through people.

Jan 1, 1997

The characteristics'of the Darling Range bauxite deposits are compared with tho"se of other large deposits in Australia and over seas The Bayer Process is them described with particular reference to the way.in which the process has been adapted to suit Darling Range bauxite. The.main characteristics considered are the physical aspects of the deposit.and its' effect on mining techniques, the grade of the ore and its effect on residue treatment, the nature of the alumina, iron and silica. content and their effect on process methods, equip- ment and raw material. Usage.

Jan 1, 1973

By J-P Franzidis

Industrial flotation plant design is a complex process involving many aspects, one of which is the use of pilot-scale plants to test industrial plant flow sheets. Once test work on a pilot-scale has been performed, scale-up of these results to the full-scale plant must be performed. This paper describes scale-up test work performed on the Floatability Characterisation Test Rig (FCTR). The FCTR is a self-contained, highly instrumented mobile pilot plant designed to determine flotation model parameters and to develop and validate flotation plant modelling, scale-up and simulation methodologies.

Jan 1, 2004

Geomechanics is one of the more specialised aspects of site supervision on a major tunnell- ing project. The controlled deformation of a rock mass as a result of tunnelling and the knowledge of loading of temporary and permanent underground supports are important for safe, economic construction. These basic parameters depend on the construction method and sequence and the geological conditions through which a tunnel is driven. Thus geomechanical monitoring during the construction phase provides feedback to a design team and allows any revisions to a design to cater for local conditions not revealed by earlier investigations. Detailed geological mapping is an integral part of geomechanics in the construction phase. It serves as a monitor on pre construction predictions and also forms part of the as- constructed record. If conventional excavation-techniques are adopted, geomechanics can provide a service of blast' vibration monitoring of surface structures in urban areas.

Jan 1, 1976

JUDGING from the attitude of past and present Parliaments in Australia, it is a' reasonable assumption that encouragement of the principal industries has been adopted as a main principle in the government of the country, but while in most cases bonuses, subsidies, and other means have been proved successful and become recognized as established methods in the case of mining, which is undoubtedly one of the most important industries, the question is complicated by difference of conditions and variable quantities, and it can scarcely be said that any system has been proved generally successful. Indeed, it would not be a very extravagant statement to assert that problems connected with affording direct monetary assistance in aid of mining development, and at the same time devising a system adaptable to the varying conditions to be met, are, in every State of the Oommonwealth, matters continually exercising the minds of those concerned in providing and ailocating such assistance ie Parliament on the one hand, and the Department of Mines on the other.True, there are methods in vogue of granting State assistance to the mining industry which have undoubtedly been successful, but it is in most cases questionable whether the beneficial results following successful expenditure in one direction have compensated.

Jan 1, 1911

The development of the lower Hunter Valley, centred around Newcastle and its suburbs is closely linked to the mining of coal and the settlements which grew to house the colliery officials, the miners and their families. The Port of Newcastle expanded and developed as a port exporting coal to many ports of the world ranging from Hawaii and Brazil to Japan and Korea. The coal which passed through the Port of Newcastle, depend- ing on the historical period in question may have been mined in Newcastle itself, or one of the nearby colliery townships such as Lambton, Wallsend, Charlestown or Hamilton, or from one of the estuarine collieries located at Carrington or Stockton or from the West Wallsend area or from East Greta, Pelaw Main or Cess- nock located on the South Maitland (Greta) coal field or from the open cut and underground mines of the Singleton Coal District.

Jan 1, 1988

By Richardson G. W, Yap L. C

Friction rock stabilisers (FRS) are steel-based, thin-walled tubular ground reinforcement widely used in underground mines in Western Australia. Following installation these stabilisers are subject to corrosion which may reduce the load carrying capacity and lead to unexpected ground falls. Although corrosion has been recognised as a common occurrence, particularly under aggressive mine water and mineral conditions present in underground mines, the knowledge of the effects of corrosion on the mechanical behaviour of FRS is limited. The Department of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia has conducted a laboratory based program of studies to investigate the effect of corrosion on the mechanical properties of FRS. The studies have focused on the effect of corrosion on tensile strength of FRS and frictional resistance along the interface between FRS and the drillhole wall. The results indicate that under certain conditions corrosion damage can significantly reduce the effectiveness of FRS.

Jan 1, 1996

By Grady PO

The longwall panels at Clarence Colliery have experienced intermittent sudden weightings on the face that have caused some production delays. These weightings have typically been more severe on the wider faces. A program of surface subsidence and extensometer monitoring was undertaken above Longwalls 4 and 5 to investigate the behaviour of the overburden strata during longwall extraction on two faces of different widths.The monitoring indicated that a dome shaped zone of large downward movement extends up into the overburden strata to a height equal to about the panel width.

Jan 1, 1998

By R Grogan

The Ungay-Malabago polymetallic deposit, currently owned by Lafayette Mining, is located on the eastern end of the island of Rapu-Rapu which lies east of the city of Legazpi in the Philippines. The island is sparsely populated and has largely been deforested by extensive logging some 30-40 years ago.The deposit is situated on a plateau some 200 m asl and lies about one kilometre inland from the coast. The site topography is difficult with minimal flat areas for plant facilities. The region around Legazpi is subject to volcanic activity and though the island is not affected it is in a seismic zone. There is no other mining or other industrial activity on the island, the local inhabitants being engaged in subsistence farming and fishing. These activities place a high level of responsibility on the mine operator with regard to the environment and the provision of employment and training to the local inhabitants. Although no previous mining was carried out at Ungay, shallow pit mining for high-grade direct smeltable copper ore has occurred during the mid-1900s in an area, known as Hixbar, some 2 km west of the deposit This area is currently being explored by Lafayette.

Jan 1, 2002