What Are the Hazards Associated with Open Pit Mining?
quarry image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a05/rq/gi/hazards-associated-open-pit-mining_-1.1-800X800.jpg’); }); Open pit mines pose hazards to both workers and natural resources. Open pit mines are surface mines exposed to the air. They are excavated by chiseling ever-deeper ledges out of rock from which ore or coal can be mined. Although these mines, according to The Daily Star, are generally safer than underground mines in terms of human fatalities, they still pose considerable hazards to be aware of. Some of these dangers extend to natural resources, as well as posing potential safety concerns to people, and are essential to be aware of for general safety and environmental awareness. Falls from Ledges People working in open pit mines are in danger of falling from a “bench,” or ledge cut from the rock, while excavating. Such a fall onto a lower ledge or worse–d
Open pit mines pose hazards to both workers and natural resources. quarry image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com Open pit mines are surface mines exposed to the air. They are excavated by chiseling ever-deeper ledges out of rock from which ore or coal can be mined. Although these mines, according to The Daily Star, are generally safer than underground mines in terms of human fatalities, they still pose considerable hazards to be aware of. Some of these dangers extend to natural resources, as well as posing potential safety concerns to people, and are essential to be aware of for general safety and environmental awareness. Falls from Ledges People working in open pit mines are in danger of falling from a “bench,” or ledge cut from the rock, while excavating. Such a fall onto a lower ledge or worse–deep into the pit of the mine–can obviously result in injury and may be fatal. Extreme caution must be used when standing on an open pit mine bench to avoid this literal pitfall, and also
