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⛰️ SOP-MIN-003: Ground Control and Slope Stability

Rule zero: Never work under or near ground you have not inspected and made safe.

FieldDetail
Company / siteRidgeline Copper Operations (fictional sample company)
Document No.SOP-MIN-003
Revision1.0 (approved)
Effective2026-10-06
Next review due2027-10-06 (or after any incident or change)
Applies toEveryone who works in or near pit walls, benches, stopes, headings and stockpiles
OwnerGeotechnical Engineer
Approved byMine Manager and Site Safety Manager

1. Purpose

To prevent injury and equipment loss from falls of ground, rockfalls, wall failures and stockpile collapse, by inspecting, monitoring and controlling ground conditions.

2. Scope

Open pit benches and walls, underground headings and stopes, waste dumps and stockpiles.

3. Roles and responsibilities

RoleResponsibilities
Geotechnical EngineerSets ground and slope design, monitoring triggers and exclusion rules.
SupervisorRuns the ground examination, applies restrictions, stops work when triggers are reached.
OperatorsExamine their workplace, report cracks, loose rock, water and movement.
SurveyorsMonitor slope prisms, radar or extensometers and report trend changes.

4. Hazards and controls

HazardControl
Loose rock and falls of groundScaling, bolting, mesh, barring down, exclusion until supported
Pit wall or bench failureBerms, catch benches, slope monitoring with trigger levels, exclusion below active areas
Water and weatherDrainage control, stop-work after heavy rain until re-inspected
Stockpile and dump collapseLimits on height and angle, no work below an active face, dump edge berms

5. Site-specific parameters

ParameterValue at Ridgeline Copper Mine
Bench design15 m bench height, 8 m berm width, 65 degree face angle in fresh rock
Slope radar2 radar units on the Alpha Pit north and east walls, readings reviewed every shift
Trigger levelsAlert 4 mm/h, Action 8 mm/h, Evacuate 15 mm/h sustained for 30 minutes
Rain stop-workMore than 25 mm in 24 hours: re-inspect the walls before work resumes below any bench
Underground supportPattern bolts at 2.0 m spacing, 2.4 m split-sets with mesh to 2.5 m above the floor in drive intersections
Dump limitsWaste dump lift height 30 m; no work below an active dump face

6. Procedure

Daily examination

  1. Examine the face, wall, back and sides before starting work and after any blast, rain or seismic event.
  2. Look for cracks, loose rock, overhangs, water seepage, bulging and fresh falls.
  3. Make safe by scaling or barring down, or barricade and report if you cannot.

Monitoring

  1. Surveyors review slope and ground monitoring data every shift.
  2. Compare readings to the agreed trigger levels: alert, action and evacuate.
  3. On an action trigger, restrict access and tell the Geotechnical Engineer; on an evacuate trigger, clear the area.

Support and re-entry

  1. Install ground support to the approved design and record it.
  2. Re-enter after a fall or failure only when the Geotechnical Engineer or Supervisor has inspected and approved.

7. Stop-work triggers

Stop the job, make the area safe and call the supervisor if any of these happen:

  • Cracks, bulging or movement in a wall, face or back
  • Rockfall, ravelling or noise from the ground
  • Monitoring reaches an action or evacuate trigger
  • Heavy rain or flooding
  • Support is missing, damaged or not to design

8. Emergency response

  1. Move away from the ground movement and warn others by radio.
  2. Account for everyone and report the area, size and any people or equipment trapped.
  3. Start emergency response and keep others out until the Geotechnical Engineer clears the area.

9. Records

  • Daily ground examination records
  • Monitoring data and trigger-level responses
  • Ground support installation records
  • Fall-of-ground and near-miss reports

10. Related documents

  • Blasting safety (SOP-MIN-002)
  • Emergency response and evacuation (SOP-MIN-007)
  • Job hazard assessment (JHA) template
  • Incident reporting and investigation SOP (SOP-MIN-010)
  • Applicable regulations for your jurisdiction, for example MSHA 30 CFR Parts 56 and 57 in the United States

Controlled document. The current version lives in this library. Printed copies are uncontrolled: check the revision before you use one. Questions or improvements go to the document owner.

11. Revision history

RevDateAuthorChange
1.02026-10-06Site HSE departmentFirst issue, approved for use

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