Are blasts disturbing the neighbours? Or is it something else?

A large coal mine in South America which is currently using a number of Envirosuite solutions is solving problems surrounding blasting and air quality.

The mine is one of the largest open-pit coal mines in the world and due to its size, its activities impact populated communities including some on the border of a neighbouring country.

Routine operations at the site generally include daily blasts. The mine receives regular complaints that blasts are not only disturbing the neighbouring communities, but also that the vibrations they produce are potentially damaging their homes.

In order to validate these claims the mine uses our Blast Management solution to help model blasts and measure any vibration activity surrounding the mine.

The measured vibrations are recorded and summarised in the newest feature included in our Blast Management solution, the Vibration Summary Report.

Is the vibration from a blasting activity or another event?

This unique report allows the user to know exactly when vibrations occur by analysing data from various vibration monitors surrounding the mine.

As a blast is over quickly we also need to take ensure the event data is reported in milliseconds to capture the entire blast or event.

In addition to the regular ‘Kaboom!’ of blasts, mine sites are already loud places due to heavy machinery and large moving vehicles such as trucks and trains. Our vibration reports also factor in external sounds from the mine to determine whether an event such as a vibration exceedance event was due to the blast or something else.

The Norm Comparison Plot on the report shows the acceptable thresholds for each type of building and any vibration event, be it external noise or an actual blast, is plotted against that standard.

These events are plotted on a graph following global industry standards for blast levels around buildings and structures.

Our Blast Report will trigger and create a report on any vibration event and the mine staff can check to see if it correlates to a blast event.

Further analysis of vibration events at mines

Our Vibration Summary Reports are included in the Blast Management solution and will provide your team with better insight into when you should be blasting and the impact it will have on your site and surroundings.

Get in touch with us today to if you're interested in finding out how our solutions can help your operation be the good neighbour and operate efficiently.