Mine Haul Road Upgrade Project OZ Minerals Prominent Hill South Australia

Haul Road Upgrade Project

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP, COMMERCIALISATION & INNOVATION CENTRE

TECHCOMM5012

APPLIED PROJECT MANAGEMENT

HAUL ROAD UPGRADE PROJECT

Stephen James McKnight

26, May 2012


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ENTREPRENEURSHIP, COMMERCIALISATION & INNOVATION CENTRE

TECHCOMM5012


CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY10

INTEGRATION...11

SCOPE...12

TIME..16

COST..18

QUALITY20

RISK22

HUMAN RESOURCES24

COMMUNICATIONS.26

PROCUREMENT.28

APPENDIX

Appendix.1 THE MINE MANGEMENT PLAN50

AFE Authorisation For Expenditure Request, OZ Minerals Business Case Submission Thiess Contract Quote & Rates for requested equipment & resources Wet Weather delays business case & supporting evidence presentation LEAN SIX SIGMA DMAIC Business case presentation Business Improvement Posters & Monthly data progress presentations Thiess Road Design & Standards Criteria Document

REFERENCES

References....103


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The University of Adelaide - TECHCOMM5021

Course Lecturer: John Sing

Major Project:


Executive Summary

Up to 10 words description of what the project is. Upgrade mine roads to an all-weather haul road system

Where is the Project Located? OZ Minerals, Prominent Hill, South Australia

Who is the Owner and Sponsor The owner is Dave Way (Deputy Operations Manager, OZ Minerals) The sponsor is Robert Boyd (Open Pit Manager, OZ Minerals ) The Key Stakeholders are OZ Minerals & Thiess The name of the Project Manager Stephen McKnight & also the Expert Road Consultant Your picture, vision or dream of the projects outcome A total of 20% of all excavators downtime is attributed to wet weather rainfall events and

subsequent delays. The vision or dream is to minimise this figure by some 25%-50%. To put this loss into perspective on average each excavator loses some 370 operating hours per

year per digger to wet weather events and subsequent delays, which is equivalent to 480,000 BCMs per excavator per year in lost productivity at $43.00 per BCM, which is some $20,000,000.00 multiplied by 5 excavators giving $100,000,000.00 in total potential saving costs on notional EBIDTA values (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Amortization).

This project will potentially save $25,000,000.00 up to $50,000,000.00 depending on the successful implementation of the key deliverables outlined in the Project Management Plan.

Historically, over the last 4 years the Mine has had on average 4 times the predicted annual rainfall, which has produced a loss of 920 hours of production per year per digger. These rainfall events typically occur during the months of November to April. Therefore, it is critical to complete the project before November 2012

The ultimate target is to achieve a minim of 6000 hours production per year per digger. The Haul Road Upgrade Project will go some way to achieving this target (20%) in conjunction with other site based initiatives including: a LOM dewatering strategy, blasting increases in pattern size/drill


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bit size and a 10% increase in powder factors and hot seat changes in all production equipment, with staggered fly-in-out days for maximum coverage and finally vertical advance heights of flitch/bench versus digger movement along wider and deeper benches

The Phase of the project Due to the fluid and nonlinear nature of such a project we have been pushing every phase possible

at once because of the tight deadline involved, i.e. this project needs to be completed by the next significant rain events predicted from November 2012 until April 2013.

Therefore, the phase progressions are as follows; a. Define, identify a problem or opportunity, which has been completed b. Measure the baseline of the process has been implemented and started January 2012 c. Analyse, identify and validate root causes. A fishbone analysis has been completed,

problem analysis brainstorming completed, root cause prioritisation implemented, 5W root cause analysis completed, root cause validation established by RTS Friction test carried out on site to find baseline, a Traffic Light Friction Risk model has been implemented and various other Project Management Tools have also been implemented, which will be outlined in the body of this presentation.

d. Improve, find and evaluate best improvements. The best solution was to adopt the use of a traffic light system for remediation of mine haul roads with some 25 interrelated criteria across the 3 lights. However, the primary criteria is outlined below;

i. Red light = high priority site requiring immediate remediation with associated plan and methodology

ii. Amber Light = less intense remediation but significant nonetheless and finally iii. Green Light = a 200mm wearing course needs to be established to make the road

compliant with the all-weather upgrade specifications iv. Red Light requires sub-base of up to 1000mm v. Amber Light requires base of 600mm vi. Green Light Running surface 200mm

vii. Crossfall of 2% on in pit and mine haul roads viii. Centre camber with 2% crossfall on dump ramps and roads ix. Establish significant drainage and run-off sumps

e. Control, execute and maintain improvement. i. Cost

ii. Schedule iii. Process Control iv. SOPS v. Training vi. Communications

The project is now in the execution phase a. All equipment for the project will be on-site by the end of April 2012 b. The T8 supervisors from Thiess have been executing the plan with limited equipment,

resources and material c. The project is 38% complete to this date regardless the above constraints

Who is the client Representative?


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Leidy Alvarado, OZ Minerals Mine Improvement Project Engineer Who are the Stakeholders? OZ Minerals Senior Management Team OZ Minerals Open Cut Management Team MIT OZ Minerals Project Team Thiess earth moving contractors Independent Road Expert Consultant Purpose of the Project:

Site Description OZ Minerals operates both an open cut and underground copper/gold mine and

processing plant at the Prominent Hill Mine site. Prominent Hill is a remote site with a FIFO and limited DIDO out workforce supporting the mining, production and exploration activities. A permanent accommodation village located 3 kms from the mining operations supports some 1500 workers. Processing of ore commenced in February 2009. Ore averaging 1.5% Cu and 0.5g/t Au is processed at a nominal rate of 8Mt per annum to produce copper concentrate via both Darwin and Port Adelaide by both rail and road

Site Location and Access The mine site is located 650km north-west of Adelaide, South Australia, some

100km south east of Coober Pedy and 150km north-west of Roxby Downs. The site is accessible via an unsealed road off the Stuart Highway 100km south of Copper Pedy. Daily charter flights from Adelaide, Melbourne and Port Augusta service the FIFO workers

Site Observations The access ramps are generally in poor condition at higher elevations

recommended by geological element profiles. The majority of access ramps do not indicate any crossfall. No drainage or facility for run-off from the haul roads seems to be in place, except for water running along the full length of access ramps from higher levels to lower levels. This is one of the major causes of uncontrolled water runoff during major rainfall events. The majority of access ramps are graded and compacted. The use of inappropriate material selection on some ramps. There are many cases of wheel rutting on ramp corners due to poor material selection. Gradients on most active in-pit ramps are between 8%-10%. Waste dump ramps vary from 5%, 8% and 10% depending on dumping criteria and poor design. Steely Haematite, Andesite and Dolomite are the best material to source for the remediation project. Large oversized material has been deposited on windrows

The existing access ramps make up 3.5km of the total 10km mine haul road system. The width of ramps are currently 23m being used for 48 haul road trucks, CAT 793D. Other equipment on-site is made up of some 5 graders CAT 24H, another 6 Dozers D10T and 4 Liebher 996 excavators with numerous other ancillary equipment

Some recommendations based on the observations are;


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Create a dedicated road maintenance project team 1 x Project Manager 1 x Project Engineer 4 x Various Independent Consultants required during execution phase

and peer review (Expert Road Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Friction Loss Engineer, Surveyor and Peer Review Engineer)

2 x Supervisors (T8) 10 x Operators

Source appropriate equipment 1 x Wheel Loader CAT 992D 2 x Komatsu 785 dump trucks 1 x Grader CAT24H 1 x Komatsu 300 Digger (Contract digger to supplement fleet) 1 x CAT 777 Water Truck 1 x CAT D10 Dozer And other ancillary equipment as required; Compactors or Impactors

Source appropriate material Steely Haematite Haematite Andesite Dolomite Greywacke Granitites

Engage a dedicated survey team to control and monitor the daily works supervised by the T8 Thiess operator in charge of implementing the traffic light system management plan

Purchase the friction testing unit to verify when roads are safe to be driven on after all rain events

Follow the rain event flow diagram to minimise downtime The Objectives:

Scope To address the issue of unsealed roads and the downtime associated with them

during and after rainfall events. This includes, road surfaces, remediation configurations, floodways, cuts, fills, drainage and mine haul road design, the identification of unsealed roads and suitable material selection for remediation including in-pit material and engineered commercially produced material. This remediation program will include the determination of sub base, base and wearing course thickness, drainage and erosion protection, environmental considerations, performance expectations, including surface condition assessment.

Time


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The estimated scheduler for this project is 12 months starting January 2012 until January 2013

The schedule is broken up into phases which will be elaborated on at a future date and location in this document

Cost The estimated cost will be divided between OP EX and CAP EX the expenditure is

in the vicinity of $1.3M CAP EX and $4M OP EX, giving a total of some $5.3M spend OP EX will pay for the machine, operator utilisation and some occasional day

work nominated activities CAP EX will pay for material, Consultants and other yet to be identified costs

Requirements to be satisfied: With the new contract model the Company has accepted the responsibility to upgrade

the haul roads in the open pit to a standard to assist in decreasing the operational delays and risk involved in friction loss, with respect to the deterioration of the haul roads, evident during wet weather.

Situation: The mine operates 24/7 365 days per annum. Excavator productivity is now seriously limited by the fact that the pit is closed off when it starts raining, and then it takes a long time to reopen the pit after the rain. This is because mine operations wait for roads to be dry again, to avoid possibility of track slides. Overall wet weather causes circa 370 hours of downtime per excavator per annum. The mining contract currently states that the contractor is accountable to maintain all-weather roads.

Complication: The mining contractor is not confident that an all-weather pit is possible at Prominent Hill, claiming that the quality of the material available on site for road-sheeting. The is no clarity also on the type of materials to be used, size of materials, current quality of design, use of reagents, maintenance practices, etc. The road maintenance practices for managing haul roads before, during and after wet weather events are also not clear and codified (e.g. scarifying, sheeting, grading, etc.)

Resolution: OZ Minerals is willing to engage an experienced contractor on road design and maintenance to perform a review of the current haul roads. This will include: design, road sampling, wet weather performance, dust suppression, material quality & sizes, maintenance practices. The scope of the report though should primarily be focused on providing OZ Minerals with a recommendation on how to keep the mining operations running as long as possible during and after wet weather events. To achieve this scope we would engage a contractor that has previous experience in such projects and issues, especially in all weather mines or in mines in tropical areas.

The Roles & Responsibilities

The roles Identified for the project are Project Manager (Stephen McKnight) Project Engineer ( Leidy Alvarado)


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Road Maintenance Supervisors ( David Kurtzer & Chris Carroll) 2 x 992 Loader Operator 2 x 24H Grader Operators 4 x 785 Truck Operators 2 x 773 Water Cart Operators 1 x Ancillary Operator from independent contractor

The Benefits What are we trying to achieve

To reduce the wet weather delays associated with Excavator utilisation by at least 25% representing 370 hours per year for each excavator

Why we should implement the project This 25% reduction in lost excavator hours represents a potential minimum

$25,000,000.00 EBITA saving to the company annually The value proposition for the sponsor

At least a 25% EBITA saving per annum representing some $25,000,000.00 saving from a capital outlay of $5,3000,000.00

Constraints and assumptions Equipment availability

It has been identified that there is a lack of suitable and available equipment to implement the project

Material availability It has been identified that there is not enough suitable or available appropriate

material crushed or screened or stockpiled for the project Resource availability

Ramping up to the 16 people required for the continuous implementation of the six month execution phase

Scope, Time & Cost Even though the project was identified some 1.5 years ago there was no

political will to implement the project due to a lack of consistent direction, scope, funds and a dedicated champion to drive the project forward.

The implementation strategy including Critical Success Factors (Targets, KPIs and Tolerances) The project requires completion before the next expected rainfall events, which are

usually expected in November 2012 until April 2013. Implementation occurred on the 5/12/2011 when the road expert was engaged in

anticipation for the contract change reflecting the haul road upgrade project as a key strategy for increased productivity of a potential 20% of total Excavator increased utilisation.

From implementation key actions were identified and progressively introduce; ancillary equipment, appropriate material, scientific measurement of friction loss and finally execution of appropriate design criteria for successful completion of the projects targets mentioned in previous sections of the executive summary.

Risk and treatment


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The issue of wet weather delays is very complex and there are no one size fits all solutions in play. Regardless the fact that there are civil engineering solutions that can and will be applied; this site has specific requirements for the appropriate solution and outcomes desired

Lack of basement material or crushed/screened or stockpiled material available when required

Equipment availability from Thiess HV & LV, HV & HV interactions during construction/execution phase of project Resource availability from Thiess for HV requirements Impact of road maintenance team during construction on production team Natural disasters Wet weather rainfall events

How phases can facilitate delivery of future phases (particular design or constructability) Once the construction/execution phase of the project is completed there will be an

emphasis on maintaining the newly constructed roads on a regular basis so that the current situation is not revisited during the remaining 6 years of the mines life

The implementation of a road maintenance team will facilitate the continuous upgrade and improvement of the haul road system without the re-introduction of a sustained initial haul road upgrade campaign, which is in progress at this time

From the RA all necessary steps have been implemented to negate and mitigate this phase occurring again in the LOM strategy, this phase is a once off action of the project leading to a continuous improvement phase

Work Breakdown Structure Suffice to say that the 5 key areas of the WBS have been defined

Define the situation Implement/Establish the action plan Acquire the;

Resources Material Equipment

Execute the action plan Close out the project

The impact of the project on stakeholders OZ Minerals will have a significant increase in productivity

This will provide increases in share value for stakeholders The increased productivity will impact the companys bottom line This will provide extra capital for future project development

Thiess will have multiple benefits Increased productivity Reduced wear & tear on equipment Reduced soft tissue issues for operators Maintain compliance with the LOM Contract introduced in January 2012


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Milestone and an activity schedule 5/12/2011 Independent Road Expert engaged to implement project 5/1/2012 Project needs identified and implemented 5/2/2012 Execution phase begun with limited; resources, equipment and material 5/3/2012 Scientific validation of friction loss assessed and measured 5/4/2012 Resources, Equipment and Material in place and beginning execution phase 5/5/2012 Execution in full swing, all elements on-site and in play 5/6/2012 to 5/11/2012 Haul Road Maintenance Plan following PMBOK project cycles until

conclusion of project in November 2012 Budget

$5.3M have been committed to the Haul Road Upgrade Project The $5.3M will be divided into CAPEX $1.3M, which includes payment of expert engineers

and surveyors, material all in 75mm for wearing course, friction testing module, uplift of equipment and any other costs outside the committed OPEX money

OPEX is committed at $4M this pays for equipment hire for the six months of the execution phase of the project

There is a further contingency fund available, but to this point a final figure has not been negotiated with the OZ Minerals BI and financial Departments, suffice to say a top end figure of $1M extra funds could be available if required. However, the current budget is on track with no need for a contingency to be anticipated

The CAPEX is well within budget with only some $350,000.00 committed thus far, however the cost of the material (75mm all in) will eat into this fund significantly, some $1M over the 6 months

The OPEX has an anticipated burn rate of $550,000.00 per month for 6 months coming in at $3.3M, leaving a $700,000.00 contingency fund if required

Are there Enterprise Environmental Factors or Organisational Process Assets which can be used? Refer to the body of this document with emphasis on the PMBOK processes The Management structure of both OZ Minerals Thiess have been utilised in the initial

stages of the projects development, until the project produced its own organisational chart and resources

All material has been sourced from the PIT All resources and equipment have been sourced from Thiess Road design criteria has been sourced from Thiess and previous champions of the project Further development of the road design criteria have been introduced from the Expert

Road Consultant working in concert with both site based knowledge groups and the adoption of industry best practise applications to the specific and unique site requirements


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PMBOK MANAGEMENT PLAN

Plans for managing (planning, monitoring & controlling- If Areas not already covered)

Integration Scope Time Cost Quality Risk Human Resources Communications Procurement


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INTEGRATION

Up to 10 words description of what the project is. Upgrade mine roads to an all-weather haul road system

Where is the Project Located? OZ Minerals, Prominent Hill, South Australia

Who is the Owner and Sponsor The owner is Dave Way (Deputy Operations Manager, OZ Minerals) The sponsor is Robert Boyd (Open Pit Manager, OZ Minerals ) The Key Stakeholders are OZ Minerals & Thiess The name of the Project Manager Stephen McKnight & also the Expert Road Consultant Your picture, vision or dream of the projects outcome A total of 20% of all excavators downtime is attributed to wet weather rainfall events and

subsequent delays. The vision or dream is to minimise this figure by some 25%-50%. To put this loss into perspective on average each excavator loses some 370 operating hours per

year per digger to wet weather events and subsequent delays, which is equivalent to 480,000 BCMs per excavator per year in lost productivity at $43.00 per BCM, which is some $20,000,000.00 multiplied by 5 excavators giving $100,000,000.00 in total potential saving costs on notional EBIDTA values (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Amortization).

This project will potentially save $25,000,000.00 up to $50,000,000.00 depending on the successful implementation of the key deliverables outlined in the Project Management Plan.


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Historically, over the last 4 years the Mine has had on average 4 times the predicted annual rainfall, which has produced a loss of 920 hours of production per year per digger. These rainfall events typically occur during the months of November to April. Therefore, it is critical to complete the project before November 2012

The ultimate target is to achieve a minim of 6000 hours production per year per digger. The Haul Road Upgrade Project will go some way to achieving this target (20%) in conjunction with other site based initiatives including: a LOM dewatering strategy, blasting increases in pattern size/drill bit size and a 10% increase in powder factors and hot seat changes in all production equipment, with staggered fly-in-out days for maximum coverage and finally vertical advance heights of flitch/bench versus digger movement along wider and deeper benches

Site Description OZ Minerals operates both an open cut and underground copper/gold mine and

processing plant at the Prominent Hill Mine site. Prominent Hill is a remote site with a FIFO and limited DIDO out workforce supporting the mining, production and exploration activities. A permanent accommodation village located 3 kms from the mining operations supports some 1500 workers. Processing of ore commenced in February 2009. Ore averaging 1.5% Cu and 0.5g/t Au is processed at a nominal rate of 8Mt per annum to produce copper concentrate via both Darwin and Port Adelaide by both rail and road

Site Location and Access The mine site is located 650km north-west of Adelaide, South Australia, some

100km south east of Coober Pedy and 150km north-west of Roxby Downs. The site is accessible via an unsealed road off the Stuart Highway 100km south of Copper Pedy. Daily charter flights from Adelaide, Melbourne and Port Augusta service the FIFO workers

Site Observations The access ramps are generally in poor condition at higher elevations

recommended by geological element profiles. The majority of access ramps do not indicate any crossfall. No drainage or facility for run-off from the haul roads seems to be in place, except for water running along the full length of access ramps from higher levels to lower levels. This is one of the major causes of uncontrolled water runoff during major rainfall events. The majority of access ramps are graded and compacted. The use of inappropriate material selection on some ramps. There are many cases of wheel rutting on ramp corners due to poor material selection. Gradients on most active in-pit ramps are between 8%-10%. Waste dump ramps vary from 5%, 8% and 10% depending on dumping criteria and poor design. Steely Haematite, Andesite and Dolomite are the best material to source for the remediation project. Large oversized material has been deposited on windrows

The existing access ramps make up 3.5km of the total 10km mine haul road system. The width of ramps are currently 23m being used for 48 haul road trucks, CAT 793D. Other equipment on-site is made up of some 5 graders CAT 24H,


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another 6 Dozers D10T and 4 Liebher 996 excavators with numerous other ancillary equipment

Some recommendations based on the observations are; Create a dedicated road maintenance project team

1 x Project Manager 1 x Project Engineer 4 x Various Independent Consultants required during execution phase

and peer review (Expert Road Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Friction Loss Engineer, Surveyor and Peer Review Engineer)

2 x Supervisors (T8) 10 x Operators

Source appropriate equipment 1 x Wheel Loader CAT 992D 2 x Komatsu 785 dump trucks 1 x Grader CAT24H 1 x Komatsu 300 Digger (Contract digger to supplement fleet) 1 x CAT 777 Water Truck 1 x CAT D10 Dozer And other ancillary equipment as required; Compactors or Impactors

Source appropriate material Steely Haematite Haematite Andesite Dolomite Greywacke Granitites

Engage a dedicated survey team to control and monitor the daily works supervised by the T8 Thiess operator in charge of implementing the traffic light system management plan

Purchase the friction testing unit to verify when roads are safe to be driven on after all rain events

Follow the rain event flow diagram to minimise downtime


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SCOPE

To sheet existing haul roads utilising the traffic light system for remediation. This concept has been previously and briefly explained in both the Executive Summary and Project Management Plan. This form of remediation identifies 3 different remediation criteria once they are satisfied and competent material is placed in-situ to design this will facilitate quicker resumption of heavy vehicle activity after wet weather stoppages. Site based crushing/screened material will be utilised to provide the 3 necessary types of engineered rock identified in the remediation process. This material will be sourced from in pit basement material with properties consistent within optimum design tolerances. This material has been successfully utilised on other in pit ramps (SO8, Beach Ramp, parts of the Western Ring Road, Upper Rom and Southern Dump access) The new road design has performed better on these areas than on areas yet to receive the remediation such as ( NO7 ramp, Northern Dump ramp, NO3 running track and Eastern Ring Road.

In some cases heavy vehicle operations will be able to continue in low level rain events; if the following factors have been considered and completed; new material in-situ, correct design parameters installed, such as 2% crossfall, sufficient wearing course, drains and drainage construction all under survey control. This design veracity will potentially provide in excess of a 25% improvement in digger availability and utilisation rates during wet weather events. The EDITA data has been outlined in both the Executive Summary and Project Management Plan. This data will also be available in the cost section of this document in the PMBOK knowledge area.

In addition, the road maintenance crew lead by the Thiess T8 Supervisor will focus on the design management with an embedded dedicated survey contractor employed expressly for the project. Their remit, together is to focus on performance managing the wet weather aspect of the project and its mitigation. The focus will change after the initial six month construction period to one of daily maintenance as opposed to daily remediation tasks.

The inclusion of a friction monitoring devise mounted in the T8s vehicle will add some scientific veracity to the experience based assessment currently being utilised by site personnel. This issue was highlighted in the flow diagram exercise for determining the wet weather delay process assessment matrix. This monitoring devise helps to mitigate risk between the differing risk tolerances based on personnel levels of experience when determining return to work practises after rain events

In Scope: Priority and critical causes of wet weather delays: Poor surface material, insufficient road maintenance and no crossfall, no drainage.

Project would be considered successful if 25% of delays have been decreased and Extra BCMs have been produced due to this improvement.

Out of Scope: Other benefits will be achieved simultaneously such as productivity increase, tyres conservation, HV and machinery maintenance reduction, decrease of uncontrolled vehicles movements, safer work conditions environment and driver comfort.


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SCR ANALYSIS

SITUATION:

Some 20% of total excavator downtime is due to wet weather events. On average each excavator loses 370 operating hours per year due to wet weather, which is equivalent to 480,000 BCM per excavator.

COMPLICATION:

To sheet existing haul roads with competent material to enable quicker resumption of heavy vehicle activity after wet weather stoppages. In addition to sheeting crossfall and drainage also needs to be included in the remediation process to rain water from the newly constructed roads. To make this happen there are 3 necessary elements required; Equipment, Material & Resources

RESOLUTION:

Equipment has been ordered to create a dedicated ancillary road maintenance team. Appropriate material is being stockpiled and crushed and screened as required. The necessary road maintenance team has been formed to implement the already established Project Management Plan

STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS

Stephen McKnight: Project Manager & Expert Road Design Engineer

After some considerable background analysis of current designs, requisite rock types, equipment requirements, resource levels, civil engineered drawings, available material types and rock sizing required; the project is now at the stage of committing funds and progressing to execution phase. Engineered drawings have been commissioned. Quotes have been sourced for equipment and material. Human resourcing levels have been identified and committed to the daily execution of the project. Budgets are being evaluated and implemented as required. A comprehensive Project Management Plan has been established and communicated to all the key stakeholders. The plan looks at people, culture, training, equipment, material and competency based evaluation for driving on remediated haul roads. A traffic light remediation system that incorporates the necessary design criteria for the identification of the 3 road mediation types is now in place. A friction analysis of the haul roads has been completed by RTS.

Leidy Alvarado: Project Engineer BI Team

The new approach to tackle Wet Weather Delays is realistic and achievable. The expected improvement will be guaranteed by completing the 3 proposed project generations. (Road remediation, Road Maintenance Plan and Rain Management). The project has been re-scoped in order to meet costs, time and quality requirements of the project deliverables and the stakeholders. In addition, the new contract has facilitated the communication within both parties and has also enhanced the interest and enthusiasm of Thiess and Oz projects team by their mutual cooperation. e.g. Quick fixes implemented so far such as S08 ramp correlates with new roads design and performance tolerances when rain event occur.


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The Project implementation stage will be managed by Contract Consultant Engineer (Stephen McKnight) until completion and it is estimated to be completed within 6 months. It is suggested also to have Road Maintenance Supervisors (T8s) in order to work in conjunction with Oz Project Engineer. The Road remediation and Maintenance Plan will be incorporated into 36hrs and Weekly Plan to make sure the project progress is communicated to all required mine personnel and followed successfully on a daily basis incorporated into the production planning cycle.

Mitigation steps of Risks identified (see tab 2.1 Risk Mgmt.) within the proposed approach such as Lack of Equipment and Crushed material have been incorporated into the Implementation Plan.


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TIME

WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

Define the situation Implement/Establish the action plan Acquire the;

Resources Material Equipment

Execute the action plan Close out the project

PROJECT MILESTONES

5/12/2011 Independent Road Expert engaged to implement project 5/1/2012 Project needs identified and implemented 5/2/2012 Execution phase begun with limited; resources, equipment and material 5/3/2012 Scientific validation of friction loss assessed and measured 5/4/2012 Resources, Equipment and Material in place and beginning execution phase 5/5/2012 Execution in full swing, all elements on-site and in play 5/6/2012 to 5/11/2012 Haul Road Maintenance Plan following PMBOK project cycles until

conclusion of project in November 2012

PROJECT SCHEDULE

THE 75mm ALL IN SCHEDULE

OZ MINERALS ALL WEATHER HAUL ROAD UPGRADE PROJECTMATERIAL CRUSHING/SCREENING SCHEDULE

MATERIAL SIZE TOTAL TONNAGE TOTAL VOLUME MONTHLY MATERIAL WEEKLY MATERIAL DAILY MATERIAL DESIRED MATERIAL TYPES TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM DEPTHSmm t m3 t t t Rock type Colour mm & m75mm 146,000 67,000 24333 6083 869 Haematite, Andesite, Skarn, Greywacke or Granitoid GREEN 200mm + 2% CROSSFALL150mm 240,000 109,000 40000 10000 1428 Andesite, Skarn, Greywacke,Sediments or Granitoid AMBER & RED up to 1.5m300mm 395,000 181,000 65833 16458 2351 Andesite, Skarn, Greywacke, sediments or Granitoid RED up to 2.0mTOTALS 781,000 357,000 130166 32541 4648

These figures are based on a 6 month crushing/screening scheduleWe are assuming a start date of early March 2012 completing August 2012; giving a 2 month buffer before our next "wet weather" window begins from November 2012 to March 2013


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COST


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QUALITY

Attached are the majority of QAQC documents associated with the project. There are a wide variety of documents included in this section; ranging from the traffic light design criteria, the actual map of the sites requiring the traffic light system remediation, correspondence with the world leader in haul road design RJ Thompson on negative superelevation design, a working haul road assessment document, a flow diagram on how to mitigate delays in returning to work after wet weather rain events, etc. This section does not go into the true depth of detail associated with the issues of maintaining quality, but gives a representation of the thought and knowledge being implied to make the haul road design as robust and relevant to the site.

During the course of this project a number of specific haul road design documents, white papers and books have been consulted, which can be found in the reference section of this presentation. Suffice to say

quality on this project was identified as one of the most contingent aspects of the projects potential for success, hence the amount of effort applied to achieve the quality required

THE ALL-WEATHER HAUL ROAD UPGRADE PROJECT (AWHRUP)

TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM OZ MINERALS PROMINENT HILL JANUARY 2012

DESIGN CRITERIA GREEN AMBER RED

1. Road Design Types Design #1 Design #2 Design #3

200mm wearing

course 200mm wearing

course 200mm wearing

course passing @ 75mm passing 75mm passing 75mm 400mm Base 600mm Base passing 150mm passing 150mm 500m Sub Base 1000mm Sub Base passing 300mm passing 300mm 2. Rock Type Steely Haematite Granitoids Mudstone Greywacke Andesite Silcrete Skarn Bulldog Shales Sedimentary Hornfels Fresh Weathered 3.MPa (UCS) >81 >47 80 >60 80% >50%


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10. Definition Green Amber RED Road Condition Road Condition Road Condition VERY GOOD FAIR BAD DAILY INSPECTION WORK REQUIRED IMMEDIATE WORK DAILY INSPECTION REQUIRED DAILY INSPECTION 11. Crossfall 2% 3% 4% 12. Crown 2% 3% 4% 13. Drainage .5m .3m >.3m 14. Berms 1.8m 1.5m 700Kpa 20. Water Truck Spray 50m on 50m off 50m on 50m off 21. Dust Block Agents Tar/Bitumen Petrol/Polymer Wetting Agents 22. Road Maintenance

Managed Maintenance Scheduled Blading Ad-hoc Blading


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23. Design Approach Integrated Design Empirical Design Just build a Road

24. Gradients 10% 12.5%


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Correspondence with Roger J Thompson regarding the issue of introducing negative superelevation to the road design and QC of the project in relation to crossfall of the in pit haul road design. This situation came about due to the road design standards Thiess have in their coal operations and as such is in their working haul road design document, which needed to be addressed so the appropriate run off design could be implemented in this site specific circumstance.

Excellent Steve, an educational read too. Thank you Rob

From: Stephen McKnight Sent: Wednesday, 4 January 2012 3:41 PM To: Robert Boyd; Jarrad Dodson; Richard Turnbull; Leidy Alvarado Cc: David Way Subject: FW: HAUL ROAD DESIGN

FYI Gents

Steve McKnight Contract Mining Engineer Mine Improvement Team

OZ Prominent Hill | Respect Integrity Action Results Ground Floor, 170 Greenhill Road Parkside, South Australia, 5063, Australia

T 61 8 8672 8148 F 61 8 86728101 M 04 350 29 169 [email protected]

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

From: Roger Thompson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, 4 January 2012 3:02 PM To: Stephen McKnight Subject: RE: HAUL ROAD DESIGN

Steve

Sounds like a good approach some changes or modifications to designs can have far reaching effects on operation and maintenance best to explore these before implementation.


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Have worked with iron-ore discard roads wearing course material before at a few sites (overseas) and it tends to make an excellent wearing course if it does not slake (and obviously has no fibrous material content). Only issue is sometimes too little fine fractions or binder. Bituminous emulsion treatment also generally an excellent option with this material type, mixed-in if well compacted road with low void ratio, or spray on IF depth of penetration can be assured (last thing you want is a thin crust of treatment bit like a sheet of glass on top of a sponge).

Friction/skid resistance testing always good info (Dave Tulloch RTS? excellent for this evaluation work) but Id also suggest sampling and evaluating the wearing course material at the locations you do these tests too otherwise you dont have such a good idea of what influence the wearing course material (as opposed to moisture/rainfall) has on friction supply. Ditto any treatment you apply. Shave off top 10-20mm max of wearing course where you do the tests and evaluate following AS1289.

Would be happy to act as your third party peer review and quarterly inspection consultant (haulroad design aspects safety audits best handled by Damir Vagaja of ARRB). I can run this work through WASM Consulting who provide liability cover, Admin and invoicing etc. as part of their service. As and when the work transpires, I can provide a Scope of Works Quote and take it from there.

Regards

Roger

From: Stephen McKnight [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, 3 January 2012 12:00 PM To: Roger Thompson Subject: RE: HAUL ROAD DESIGN

Hi Roger,

First off really appreciate your prompt reply and considered response

Over the last month I have been reading everything you have published to get up to speed with this project

I am glad you agree with the negative crossfall of 2% with qualifications, of course

We are working with Thiess our Open Pit Hauling Contractor

They have a high turn-over of staff so there are a significant number of newbies on-site at any one time, hence our difficulties with the fleet working in wet weather, among other reasons


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I take on board your central corridor berm idea and will pass it on to the team for discussion

And yes we need to consider drainage in such cases

We are looking at introducing HPGPS & LPGPS systems on both graders and dozers

We are also looking at applying Dust Bloc as well to the wearing course; this is a bitumen type palliative

The wearing course will be made of steely haematite, MPa >150 passing through up to 75mm @ 200mm depth close to or above 80% CBA

With regards friction analysis we are bring in a team to do the whole mine on the 24-26 January, to establish a baseline

I fully appreciate the negative superelevation on the downward journey into the pit. This will be and has been discussed with the Thiess team, but will be further enforced

We are constructing a simulation ramp at 10% to begin training the operators

A constructed ramp with a crossfall of 2% appropriate wearing course and drainage

With another ramp with no controls in place

Yes, I totally agree with the civil/geotech analysis and intend to follow your specifications to the letter

Roger would you consider being our third party peer review and quarterly inspection consultant?

Im not sure if you would be available, but your experience and technical background are second to none in this field

It would be a privilege and a pleasure if you were interested in assisting our team over the course of this project

Cheers,




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Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

From: Roger Thompson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, 3 January 2012 2:03 PM To: Stephen McKnight Subject: RE: HAUL ROAD DESIGN

Steve

In principal, a construction width of 35m for a 30m running surface (4x6.64m body width of 793C) appears fine. The cross-fall of 2% also typical but would depend on the type of wearing course (surfacing) material you have too. The only recurrent problem with a constant crossfall is the potential of trucks to wander across lanes into the direction of on-coming traffic. If you have operating experience and safety/accident data, it may be worth looking at the type of accidents/near-misses at the site to see if truck misalignment/skidding, etc. is an issue for whatever reason. Centre berms have been used in some operations to split traffic lanes, but with a constant crossfall, this complicates drainage (and road and berm maintenance).

Blading a road with a constant crossfall is also more difficult than a crowned road, with the added problem of debris, spillage, etc. being pushed to the drain-side where it could cause tyre damage, etc. Good grading practice should remedy this.

Further, where the road is required to change direction against the cross-fall, care will be needed to specify speed limits (especially down-grade unladen) since on these curves, the super-elevation will be in the wrong sense and road surface friction supply needs to be maximised here to prevent skidding. An incorrect super-elevation may lead to truck instability at speed, and the misalignment problems outlined above.

This also raises the issue of the wearing course material itself. A good quality material is required, with a CBR ideally >80%, to help reduce the likelihood of cross-erosion or run-off channels being


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eroded from the wearing course on the down-slope edge of the road. The majority of even the best specified wearing course materials are sensitive to rain, and the road will go down eventually. You may want to look at adding a stabiliser or other similar treatment to the wearing course to enhance its ability to shed water as opposed to absorb it. In doing this, youll need to ensure the road structure is well built and can support a long-lasting surface treatment otherwise youll end up blading it off the road as you blade the surface due to poor support problems in the structure itself.

Good starting point would be to sample actual/proposed wearing course materials and get a civil eng lab to run a road indicator test on them according to AS1289 (grading to 0.075, Atterburg limits, MDD, OMC and CBR at say 97% Mod AS1289) to see what youve got and what options you have if you need to fix it up (reduce clay by adding aggregates, increase fine fraction to improve binding, etc.). Treatment suppliers would also look at this info to determine how and at what rate of application their product may work.

Let me know if you need more info happy to assist.

Roger

From: Stephen McKnight [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, 2 January 2012 4:59 AM To: Roger Thompson Subject: HAUL ROAD DESIGN

Hi RJ,

I am currently working on an all-weather haul road upgrade project here in South Australia

I have been applying many of your thoughts, concepts and principles to this project

The project consists of approximately 10kms of road work; in pit haul roads, outer ring roads and waste dump/ROM pad roads

The projects focus is to reduce the downtime we experience from rainfall events

It has been determined that with rain events between 1mm 5mm we lose up to 80% productivity due to truck downtime

Some 470 hrs per year per digger, we have 5 Diggers; 996 Liebher

Our aim is to achieve 6000 hrs per digger per year and the all-weather haul road upgrade project has been put in place to achieve a high percentage of this target


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Currently, there are no crossfalls, no road designs or competent material utilised in the construction of the roads.

I have developed a traffic light system that identifies these conditions and we are working our way through the work required

However, I require your thoughts on the following situation

We are developing a design for a negative superelevation for the in pit curved roads, which will spiral down to some 480m at the end of the pits life

We are considering the following ideas;

Up 2% crossfall from the in-pit side of the road out to the highwall side We will install the drainage on the highwall side of the pit and pump it out from sumps The width of the total road is 35m The working surface is up to 30m We are using 973 Cat Dump Trucks (payload 220t)

My question is related to the negative superelevation

Therefore, what we are proposing, is it safe and feasible or do you have better: thoughts, comments, ideas or suggestions

We need to make sure the rain water runs off the wearing course into the drains so we do not lose truck availability

Cheers,





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Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail RISK

There were 5 major risk areas identified during the All Weather Upgrade Risk Assessment, which have been categorised in the below chart The issue of wet weather delays is very complex and there are no one size fits all solutions in play. Regardless the fact that there are civil engineering solutions that can and will be applied; this site has specific requirements for the appropriate solution and outcomes desired

Lack of basement material or crushed/screened or stockpiled material available when required

Equipment availability from Thiess HV & LV, HV & HV interactions during construction/execution phase of project Resource availability from Thiess for HV requirements Impact of road maintenance team during construction on production team Natural disasters Wet weather rainfall events

Risks identif ied Risk Rating Mitigation Action Risk RatingLikelihood Conseq. Rating Likelihood Conseq. Rating

1 Possible Major Extreme Unlikely Moderate Moderate

2 Possible Major Extreme Rare Moderate Moderate

3 Unlikely Major High Rare Major Moderate

4 Possible Moderate High Unlikely Moderate Moderate

5 Unlikely Moderate Moderate Unlikely Insignif icant

Low

Ongoing stockpiling of Road basement material and Hire Screening plant

Monitor crew levels, move personnel betw een crew s, park up digger that do not ff t th j tSchedule to be managed by mine planner

(both 36hr plan and w eekly plan)and Thiess

Hire Road Maintenance Equipment through Thiess

Road w orks completed on shift change days, alternate routes to be used

Equipment Availabilty

HV contact w ith LV during road w orks

Thiess manning level drop below minimum requirements

Impact on production during road construction, by the contruction w ork group

Lack of road basesment or crushed material w hen required


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These 5 categories have been further calculated in the below risk register matrix


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HUMAN RESOURCES

Project Manager: Steve McKnight

Mine Project Engineer: Leidy Alvarado

T8 Supervisors: David Kurtzer / Chris Carroll

Road Crew A & B

2 x CAT 992 Wheel Loader Operators

2 x CAT 16 H Grader Operators

2 x CAT D10 Dozer Operators

4 x KOMATSU 785 Truck Operators

Expert Consultants on an as required basis

(Friction Test Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Surveyors & Peer Review Principal Engineer)

Project Manager

T8 Road Maintenance Supervisors

Road Crew A Road Crew B

Project Engineer

Expert Consultants


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COMMUNICATIONS


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PROCUREMENT


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APPENDIX.1

THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN


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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF

MINE ROADS 1.0 GENERAL .......................................................... 75 2.0 CONTROLS ........................................................ 75

2.1 Road Classification ................................................... 75 2.1.1 Permanent Haulroads ................................................. 75 2.1.2 Pit Haulroads (Short or Medium Term Haulroads) ........... 76 2.1.3 Light Vehicle Roads .................................................... 76

2.2 Mine Road Design & Construction Process ................... 76

2.3 Rolling Resistance .................................................... 78

2.4 Geometric Design Phase ........................................... 79 2.4.1 Stopping Distance ...................................................... 79 2.4.2 Sight Distance ........................................................... 79 2.4.3 Alignment ................................................................. 80 2.4.4 Roadway Width ......................................................... 81 2.4.5 Cross Fall ................................................................. 82 2.4.6 Gradient ................................................................... 83 2.4.7 Super-elevation ......................................................... 84 2.4.8 Road Side Drainage .................................................... 86 2.4.9 Road Shoulders ......................................................... 87 2.4.10 Bundwalls ................................................................. 87 2.4.11 Intersections ............................................................. 89 2.4.12 Intersection Traffic Control .......................................... 93 2.4.13 Runaway Vehicle Control ............................................. 94 2.4.14 Heavy Equipment Go-lines .......................................... 96

2.5 Structural Design Phase ........................................... 99 2.5.1 General Road Construction .......................................... 99 2.5.2 In-situ Surface Preparation ....................................... 100 2.5.3 Sub-base Requirements ............................................ 100 2.5.3 Base Course Requirements ........................................ 101


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2.6 Functional Design Phase ......................................... 101 2.6.1 Running Surface Requirements .................................. 102

2.7 Maintenance Design ............................................... 102 2.7.1 General Road Maintenance ........................................ 104 2.7.2 Road Furniture Signs ............................................. 104 2.7.3 Road Furniture Sign Positioning ............................... 105 2.7.4 Road Furniture Delineators ..................................... 106

3.0 MONITORING & REVIEW ................................ 106 4.0 RESPONSIBILITIES ........................................ 107

4.1 Mineworkers ........................................................... 107

4.2 Supervisors ............................................................ 107

4.4 Superintendents / Project Manager ............................ 107

5.0 USEFUL REFERENCES & FORMS ...................... 108


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PROCEDURE & INFORMATION

Procedure Information 1.0 General

Mine roads shall be designed and constructed to appropriate specifications to allow the safe and efficient movement of vehicles around the mine site.

The specifications must have regard to the particular conditions at the mine, including the following:

The characteristics of the mine vehicles;

The types of materials available for road construction;

The methods of working the mine;

Relevant legislation.

Good design and construction of mine roads will enable:

Safe movement of vehicles;

Optimal haulage cycle times;

Increased tyre life;

Less stress to mechanical components of vehicles;

Less structural damage to vehicle chassis;

Reduced operator fatigue.

PRINTING INFORMATION Due to the graphics included within the body of this document it must be printed in high resolution

2.0 Controls

2.1 Road Classification

Mine roads should be designed and constructed to a standard in accordance with the road classification which is dependent on:

The expected life span of the road;

The primary purpose of the road;

The frequency of usage of the road.

2.1.1 Permanent Haulroads

Permanent haulroads are major arterial roads used by haul trucks and the majority of mine traffic. The basic criteria for permanent haulroads are as


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Procedure Information follows:

Long term existence;

Used by haul trucks and other mine vehicles;

High frequency usage;

Formed construction profile;

Delineated.

2.1.2 Pit Haulroads (Short or Medium Term Haulroads)

Pit haulroads are roads that are used by haul trucks and other mine traffic in and around pit areas including, in pit haulroads and ramps, bench roads, dump roads and ramps, etc. The basic criteria for pit haulroads are as follows:

Short to long term existence depending on particular road function;

Used by haul trucks and other mine vehicles;

High frequency usage (may be periodic);

Formed or non-formed construction profile;

Delineated.

2.1.3 Light Vehicle Roads

Light vehicle roads are roads that are used by light and medium vehicles for access around the perimeter of the pit, within pit areas and on the surface. The basic criteria for light vehicle roads are as follows:

Short to long term existence depending on particular road function;

Used by light and medium vehicles only;

Low to medium frequency usage;

Basic construction profile only;

Delineated on more permanent light vehicle roads.

2.2 Mine Road Design & Construction Process


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Procedure Information Mine road design and construction can be thought of as 4 distinct steps or phases:

Alignment Super-elevation Gradient Sight Distance, Etc.

General road construction In-situ surface preparation Sub-base requirements Base course requirements

Running surface requirements

Haulroad maintenance Road furniture signage Road furniture delineators Inspections / audits

Design & Construct


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2.3 Rolling Resistance

Rolling resistance is the resistance that occurs when a tyre rolls on a surface.

Rolling resistance can significantly impact on the efficiency of vehicles travelling on a mine road and associated haulage costs.

It is caused by any combination of the following:

Deformation of the road (may be at any depth in the road profile) under the tyre;

Penetration of the tyre into the road surface;

Tyre deformation caused by the road surface resulting in energy required to lift the vehicle as opposed to propel it forward.

Rolling resistance of a haulroad shall be considered throughout all 4 phases of the design and construction process to maximise haulage efficiency and safety.

Poor geometric design resulting in significant or sharp changes to vehicle direction and speed may result in deformation of the road, tyre deformation and/or tyre penetration into the road surface;

Poor structural design (as a result of poor in-situ surface, insufficient structural layer thickness, inappropriate structural material and/or poorly constructed structural layers) may result in deformation of the road profile;

Poor functional design (as a result of inappropriate running surface material and/or poorly constructed running surface layer) may result in tyre penetration;

Poor maintenance design (as a result of poor maintenance practices and/or insufficient maintenance frequency) may result in an inability to minimise all types of rolling resistance.

In order to maximise haulage efficiency rolling resistance should be minimised where possible.

Refer to AM-PH-HS-IF-0832.8 Information Sheet Rolling Resistance Table


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2.4 Geometric Design Phase

The geometric parameters of the mine road shall be designed to ensure the safe and efficient travel of mine vehicles at normal operating speeds.

2.4.1 Stopping Distance

Mine roads shall be designed to accommodate the stopping distance of the largest fully laden haul truck regularly using the road (using emergency braking).

Theoretical stopping distances may be determined from a series of Stopping Distance Characteristic Graphs developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

OEMs utilise these standards to design their vehicle brake systems.

Tests carried out by Dawson in 1975 indicate that to preclude brake fade or failure, 61m braking distance should be considered the minimum allowable (this is under test conditions). However, adopted stopping distance needs to accommodate a number of variables (e.g. driver reaction time, road surface conditions, traction loss, etc) as well as the vehicle braking capability. As a result, a minimum stopping distance of 100m should be utilised.

Refer to AM-PH-HS-IF-

0832.10 Information Sheet SAE Stopping Distance Graphs

2.4.2 Sight Distance

Sight distance is the extent of peripheral area visible to the vehicle operator, and is dictated by:

The design speed of the road;

The driver eye height of the lowest vehicle using the road;

The stopping distance of the largest vehicle using the mine road in the worst case driving conditions.

The distance ahead of the driver to an unforeseen hazard shall always be greater than the distance required to bring the vehicle to a stop.

On hill crests, the sight distance may be restricted by the vertical curve or crest of the hill, in this instance the crest may need to be flattened.

At horizontal curves or intersections of the road the sight distance may be restricted by batters, vegetation, signs or other obstructions. Where possible horizontal curves and intersections should have all sight restrictions removed or minimised.


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2.4.3 Alignment

Road alignment refers to the road direction in both the horizontal and vertical planes.

The following elements should be considered when designing the mine road alignment:

All curves (horizontal and vertical) should be designed with the largest radius possible;

The alignment should be smooth and consistent;

Compound curves (curves where the radius changes) shall not be used;


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Horizontal and vertical alignments should complement each other and the following should be considered when combining horizontal and vertical curves:

o Avoid sharp horizontal curves at the crest of vertical curves as sight distance is generally restricted and it is difficult for drivers to perceive the curves in such a situation;

o Avoid sharp horizontal curves at the base of ramps or long sustained downhill grades as vehicles are typically at their highest speed at these locations;

o If switchbacks are required they should be designed with the largest radius possible and should be placed on flat sections, avoid placing them on grade as the inside of the curve may exceed the design gradient specification.

2.4.4 Roadway Width

Mine roads should be designed and constructed to suit the Operating Width of the largest vehicle that will be using the road regularly.

The following table summarises the roadway width for various road types:

Straight Single Lane Roadway 2 x Operating Width

Straight Double Lane Roadway 3.5 x Operating Width

Curved Single Lane Roadway 2 x Operating Width x 1.18

Curved Double Lane Roadway 3.5 x Operating Width x 1.18

(1.18 represents an overhang/vehicle tracking multiplier)

Consideration should be given to separate roadways where possible particularly in high hazard areas (e.g. fog zones). In such circumstances the roadways should be separated by a median (separation) bund or other physical barrier. The height of the median bund or physical barrier must be appropriately selected to ensure that sight distance is not affected (typically median bundwall height should be restricted to 1m unless otherwise required for risk control).

In areas where roadway width criteria cannot be met, an assessment of risk shall be undertaken and appropriate controls put in place.

Straight Double Lane Roadway Schematic

The Roadway of a mine road refers to the running surface of the road.

The Operating Width of a vehicle is the maximum width of the vehicle during normal operation. The measurement must be taken from outer extremity (for example mirrors, tray, rock deflectors, etc) on one side to the outer extremity (for example mirrors, tray, rock deflectors, etc) on the other side.

Refer to AM-PH-HS-TP-0832.6 Template Site Specification Sheet (Site Version)

Refer to AM-PH-HS-FO-

0501.6 Job Safety and Environmental Analysis


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Cat Graphics reproduced with permission from Caterpillar Inc.

Straight Separated Double Lane Roadway Schematic


Separated Roadways are treated as two single lane roadways when determining roadway width.

2.4.5 Cross Fall

Cross fall is the cross road gradient perpendicular to the road direction and Refer to AM-PH-HS-

TP-0832.6 Template Site Specification Sheet (Site Version)


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should be utilised in order to divert water away from the road surface.

The rate of cross fall should allow rapid water runoff without adversely affecting the drivers steering control or increasing Position 1 tyre wear.

The degree of cross fall is dependent and directly related to:

Road gradient;

Expected rainfall (during normal weather conditions);

Construction materials used on the running surface.

The following table details typical cross fall for various applications:

Road Gradient Min Cross fall

Low Rainfall or Smooth Surface

Max Cross fall

High Rainfall or Rough Surface

0 to 4% 1 in 25 1.0% 3%

5 to 9% 1 in 11 1.0% 2.5%

10 to 12.5% 1 in 8 0.5% 2%

Refer to AM-PH-HS-IF-

0832.11 Information Sheet Gradient Conversion

2.4.6 Gradient

The gradient on a ramp is the grade line profile along the road centre line, in the vertical plane.

Vertical curves should be utilised to provide smooth transitions from one grade to another. The vertical curves utilised shall ensure that the sight distance is sufficient at the design speed for the vehicles using the road.

Gradient should be kept as constant as possible (avoid unnecessary grade changes) to reduce the tendency of trucks to change through gears (hunt) on the up-grade hauls. This affects:

Haulage cycle times;

Fuel consumption;

Stress on the mechanical components of the vehicle e.g. transmissions and torque converters;

Excessive chassis flexing due to uneven surfaces (Racking);

Damage to the road surface.

Gradient should be selected in accordance with manufacturers specifications to suit the particular vehicle that is expected to utilise the road.

Both the uphill (rimpull) and downhill (retarding/brake capability) of the vehicle should be considered when determining the most appropriate grade.

Refer to AM-PH-HS-IF-0832.11 Information Sheet Gradient Conversion

Refer to AM-PH-HS-TP-0832.6 Template Site Specification Sheet (Site Version)


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Particular attention needs to be paid to loaded downhill haulage and/or long sustained downhill grades (for both loaded and unloaded operations) to ensure that the braking capability of the vehicle is not compromised.

Consideration must also be given to possible mine design impacts when selecting gradients.

Typically grades up to 10% (1in10) should be utilised on haulage ramps.

An assessment of risk shall be undertaken for grades ranging from 10% (1in10) to 12.5% (1in8).

Gradients exceeding 12.5% (1in8) shall not be utilised.

Median bundwalls should be utilised to separate traffic where there is a horizontal curve on grade. Horizontal curves on ramps may increase the potential for vehicles travelling down the ramp to lose control and slide into vehicles travelling up the ramp (this is particularly the case when the down grade curve is to the left).

2.4.7 Super-elevation

Super-elevation is the cross fall applied to switchbacks, corners and curves. It allows the vehicle taking the corner to counteract the centrifugal forces by directing the vehicle weight towards the centre of radius of the curve.

All horizontal curves shall be appropriately super-elevated and/or speed restricted.

The amount of super-elevation on the corner is directly related to the radius of the corner and the desired vehicle speed through the corner.

Under no circumstance shall negative super-elevation be used.

Typically super-elevation for a normal mine road application is between 3% and 5%. Super-elevation rates above 5% are not recommended.

The following table details recommended super-elevation rates and proper curve and speed relationship:

Recommended super-elevation rates in % for given vehicle speeds and curve radii

Curve Radius

Vehicle Speed (km/hr)

20 30 40 50 60 70

50m 6% - - - - -

Refer to AM-PH-HS-IF-0832.11 Information Sheet Gradient Conversion


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75m 4% 9% - - - -

100m 3% 7% - - - -

200m 2% 4% 6% 10% - -

300m 2% 2% 4% 7% 8% -

400m 2% 2% 3% 5% 6% 6%

500m+ 2% 2% 3% 5% 5% 5%

Outside of recommended specification

The portion of the road used to transform a cross slope section into a super-elevated section is termed the run-out length.

The purpose of the run-out is to assist the driver in the manoeuvring of a vehicle through the curve.

Run-out lengths vary with the design speed and total change in cross slope.

The following table enables the correct run-out length to be determined and at what rate the cross slope transitions:

Cross slope change in % for 10m of roadway length

Vehicle Speed (km/hr)

15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 2.1% 1.8% 1.6% 1.4% 1.3% 1.1%

Example:

To illustrate the calculation of run-out assume a vehicle is travelling at 50km/hr. The roadway has a normal cross fall of 3% to the left. The vehicle encounters a curve to the right that requires a super-elevation of 5% to the right. The total change in cross slope is 3%+5%=8%. From the above table the rate of change per 10m of roadway at 50km/hr is 1.3%. Thus the run-out length required is:

= (8% / 1.3%) x 10m

= 61.54m (use 62m)

Run-out shall be applied such that 1/3 occurs in the curve and 2/3 in the tangent (straight section).

Application of Super-elevation and Run-out


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2.4.8 Road Side Drainage

Road side drains should be installed to rapidly drain surface water from the road. This will reduce unsafe driving conditions and damage to the road due to water saturation of the road surface and/or structural layers.

All drainage shall comply with the site Environmental Management Plan (EMP).

V-drains are recommended due to ease of construction, basic maintenance and design. The following design parameters are recommended where possible:

If possible the drain should be located in undisturbed material rather than fill;

The side slopes shall be 4:1 or flatter;

The drain should be a minimum of 0.5 metres in depth;

Drains should be cleaned out and/or re-established when the depth has been reduced by 50%;

Drain gradient should be sufficient to ensure no ponding occurs within the drain and water flows freely during rain events.

Flat bottom drains require more construction effort however provide greater

Radius

TP -Tangent Point

TP -Tangent Point

2/3

1/3

1/3

2/3 Run-out

Run-out


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flexibility in handling greater water flow without excessive depth providing a safer alternative in the event of a vehicle accidentally leaving the roadway.

Rock check dams should be installed at nominal intervals along drainage paths and should be constructed with suitable rock to reduce flow velocity and aid in sedimentation capture.

Where culverts are required under roads they should be built to suit individual design requirement specifications and flood study data. Culverts should be protected by installation of a headwalls both upstream and downstream. Where possible concrete headwalls should be used. As concrete headwalls are expensive, rock lined headwalls with rock mattresses in the stream beds and keyed into the road surface may be an appropriate alternative.

Permanent drains and culverts that form an integral part of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) shall be designed in accordance with industry accepted engineering methods and standards taking into consideration catchment areas, rainfall intensity and other accepted engineering criteria to ensure drain dimensions are adequate.

2.4.9 Road Shoulders

Road shoulders shall be designed to appropriately address the risk of a vehicle accidentally leaving the roadway.

In areas where there is a vertical drop (>0.5m) along the road edge or a very steep (or sustained) shoulder grade, one or more of the following controls shall be put in place:

A suitable bundwall be constructed in the affected area;

The shoulder be constructed at a maximum grade of 1V in 4H ratio;

Delineators and/or signage be put in place to highlight the road edge and potential drop off hazard;

Training and education be undertaken to highlight the issue to road users.

2.4.10 Bundwalls

Bundwalls or bunds are a standard safety feature on mine roads, dump crests, pit wall crests or other areas where a vertical drop hazard exists. They may also be used to provide protection for various items in parking areas and/or to provide traffic separation on road networks and within intersections.

They are typically flat topped triangular mounds used to redirect wandering

Other commonly used terminology to describe bundwalls includes, but is not limited to safety bunds, windrows, berms, safety berms, rills and earthen barriers.


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vehicles on the haulroad or to absorb some of the impact energy if the vehicle hits the bundwall.

The following items should be considered when designing and constructing bundwalls:

Unconsolidated material that will resist weathering should be used for construction;

The risk associated with a hazard shall be considered in selecting the height of a bundwall:

o For standard bundwalls the height shall be equal to or greater than the height of the largest vehicle tyre ( inflated diameter);

o In areas where there is a high risk associated with a significant edge drop off, where high haul speeds occur and/or other high risk situations, bundwall heights shall be increased to the equivalent wheel diameter of the largest vehicle tyre (1x inflated diameter);

In areas where bundwalls are used to define traffic separation within an intersection, they shall be adequately sized to allow for maximum sight distance throughout the intersection. Bundwall height shall be limited to 1m in this application;

The integrity of the bundwall is paramount, bunds should be a minimum of 1m wide across the top;

The side slope of the bundwall shall be no flatter than 37 (repose, rill angle) so that the bundwall does not act as a ramp. Conversely the side slope of the bundwall should not be steeper than 45 (1to1) as the bundwall will lose integrity (stopping mass). If side slopes are made steeper than 45 then the thickness of the bundwall shall be increased in order to maintain integrity;

Bundwalls shall be kept clean of sizeable rocks capable of cutting tyres, in areas where this is not possible old haul truck tyres should be used on corner apex points;

Small breaks in the bund should be left at regular points particularly where water will pool to allow for drainage of water off the road surface;

Bundwalls shall be inspected and maintained regularly as they can be eroded due to rain, plant activity and road maintenance activities.

Standard trucks refers to equipment dimensions (tyre size) as specified by OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).

The footprint dimensions (Y values) within the adjacent table have been calculated with the


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The following table details bundwall dimension specifications for standard trucks:

Vehicle Class

Tyre Size Inflated Diameter

Inflated Diameter Bundwall

Specifications

High Risk Area Bundwall

Specifications

X Y Z X Y Z

Cat 777 27.00R49 2.694m 1.4m 4.8m 1m 2.7m 8.2m 1m

Cat 785 33.00R51 3.061m 1.6m 5.3m 1m 3.1m 9.3m 1m

Cat 789 37.00R57 3.456m 1.8m 5.8m 1m 3.5m 10.3m 1m

Cat 793 40.00R57 3.557m 1.8m 5.8m 1m 3.6m 10.6m 1m

Cat 797 59/80R63 4.025m 2.1m 6.6m 1m 4.1m 11.9m 1m

EH 4500 50/90R57 3.825m 2.0m 6.4m 1m 3.9m 11.4m 1m


bundwall side slope at 37 (1V:1.33H).

All calculated values within the adjacent table have been rounded up to the nearest decimetre.

2.4.11 Intersections

The potential for a two (or more) vehicle collision at an intersection is related to:

The number of conflict points for vehicles on intersecting paths;

The frequency for which those conflict points are experienced;

The number and complexity of decisions required by road users at a given conflict point.

Three types of conflict points exist within typical mine intersections, they are:

Conflict Points are locations within a road intersection where possible collisions between two or more vehicles may occur.

Conflict point analysis is an important tool in determining the safest intersection design.

Refer to AM-HS-IF-

0832.9 Information Sheet Conflict Point Analysis Example Intersections


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Diverging Conflict Point

Merging Conflict Point

Crossing Conflict Point

When designing intersections it is important to reduce the total number of conflict points within an intersection, ensure conflict point frequency is minimised and reduce the complexity of a drivers decision process (by introduction of appropriate controls) at conflict points particularly for judgments of clearance time and distance to potentially conflicting traffic.

In addition consider the following points:

Intersections shall be designed with a maximum of 9 conflict points;

Intersecting roads shall be 90 to each other (eliminating Y Intersections - see following diagram);


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Y Intersection Treatment

Intersection of 2 or more roads (multi-leg intersections) shall be avoided, the following diagram provides potential treatments for multi-leg intersections;

Multi-leg Intersection Treatments Conversion to Staggered T Intersections

90

30m Minimum


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Intersections in close proximity to each other should be offset by 50m separation distance;

Flat spots should be incorporated into the base of ramps when they intersect other roads to provide a level braking zone of 30 m;

Intersections should be orientated to avoid early morning or afternoon sun blindness;

Intersections shall be positioned and designed to maximise sight distance (in both the horizontal and vertical planes) on approach and throughout the intersection. The following diagram details minimum sight distance requirements at intersections; if the specified sight distances cannot be achieved appropriate controls (e.g. speed reduction) shall be put in place;

Sight Distance Requirements at Intersections

Intersection corner radii and dimensions should be adequate so that all vehicles (particularly long vehicles) can turn within an intersection without encroaching into opposing lanes (see following diagram);

Vehicle Tracking Encroaching Into Opposing Lane

Drainage should be considered when designing intersections to ensure water does not accumulate on or beside the road;

When checking sight distance in the adjacent diagram the height of the observers eye and object is 1.5m.

Where visibility is limited all attempts should be made to remove the obstruction.


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Road maintenance requirements should be considered when designing intersections, the more complex the intersection the more difficult it will be to maintain.

2.4.12 Intersection Traffic Control

Traffic control shall be established at intersections to provide safe and efficient operation of the intersection.

The following elements should be considered when designing intersection traffic control:

Traffic volume of intersecting roads should be considered with through traffic priority given to the higher volume (and/or loaded) traffic road;

Adequate signage shall be installed to provide warning on approach to intersections and to provide clear direction within the intersection;

o Speed reduction signs should be placed on approach for minor road (or secondary road) traffic;

o Speed reduction signs should be placed on approach for major road (or primary road) traffic where sight distances are less than the distances detailed in the Sight Distance Requirements at Intersections diagram above;

Stop signs reduce collision probability greater than give way signs by:

o Reducing the complexity in the drivers decision process for judgments of clearance time and distance to potentially conflicting traffic;

o Approach speeds of potentially conflicting vehicles are reduced to a minimum.

The appropriate traffic control signage Stop or Give Way will be determined by a risk assessment, conducted on the intersection;

Median bundwalls should be used to define traffic separation within an intersection and they shall be adequately sized and positioned to allow for maximum sight distance throughout the intersection. Bundwall height shall be limited to 1m in this application. The following diagram details median bund positioning requirements:

Median Bundwall Positioning Requirements at Intersections


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2.4.13 Runaway Vehicle Control

In areas where long sustained downhill hauls are utilised or in areas where there is potential for retarder or brake failure appropriate controls shall be put in place to safely arrest a runaway vehicle.

Runaway safety ramps or escape lanes have been used extensively on mountain highways around the world and are appropriate structures for intercepting and stopping runaway haulage trucks.

The entrance onto the safety ramp shall be appropriately designed to allow a truck to safely intercept the safety ramp. Vertical and horizontal curves incorporating super-elevation shall be utilised to allow the safety ramp development.

The escape lane width shall be wide enough to accommodate the vehicle width; a minimum of 10m is recommended however a wider lane may be required for larger haul trucks.

The runaway safety ramp shall be appropriately designed with an uphill grade and high rolling resistance roadbed (loose gravel or sand bed) to safely decelerate a runaway vehicle. A stopping pad and/or median runaway bund shall be constructed on the final of the escape lane in order to bring the vehicle to a stop and ensure that the vehicle does not begin rolling backwards down the escape lane. No stopping zones shall be established on the haulroad at runaway safety ramp entrance area

Mine Haul Road Upgrade Project OZ Minerals Prominent Hill South Australia

Design

geological

daily charter

friction testing

predicted

produce copper

daily works

wet weather

cat d10 dozer