Opal mining: If It Glows Do I Want It
- Thread starter mickeywhisker
- Start date
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One safety issue I have found with opal mining is a lack of mine plans or knowledge of what adjacent mines did in the past - shafts are often close together and you can be happily driving along the edge of a huge open room without supports only a metre on the other side of your rock wall.
wow that is awesome thank you for the pics
Yes our Scorpions will Glow... as well as lots of Fungi.... A great time to be had in the bush at night...
LW...
LW...
thank you for your reply yes i have seen just what glows in the night and some of what glows is really freaky. so much crawling things in the dark
Great for checking dodgy Motel sheets as well...... shine one in the toilets... You will run 1000 miles...LW....
dam why put that in my head lol i dont want to know but now i have to try it out and have a look
LW....
Don't forget to try out your UV light on banknotes and passports, to reveal the normally invisible anti-forgery patterns and insignia.
No offence, but shine it around your Home toilet... You will be surprised...
LW...
Lots of surprising details on Passports and drivers licences..... If you shine it around inside your house at night, lots of things 'Glow'...
LW.....
none taken dam i walked around the inside of my house well not mine i rent it but dam. well it just goes to show my misses sucks at cleaning lol.
Syndyne
Shaun Galman
That's just a part of mining as a whole that is generally out of our control as a complete unknown, until known. If prior knowledge of the area is forgotten or absent then it generally should fall under risk assessment/management preparation.
Nothing much can be done to mitigate it planning-wise if classed as an unknown unfortunately, however action-ing safety as far as situational awareness of your surroundings goes while mining should always be priority without exception.
We are always aware of that scenario potentially being the case and have worked in dozens of claims around the older Ridge fields over the years that had that exact structural displacement (to coin a phrase) present. As we learn to listen and feel the give or dryness of the opal levels to some extent we are generally aware that we are either close to, or heading towards previously worked country. Open areas underground albeit drives or larger ballrooms always sounds somewhat "drummy" and an echo is always quite noticeable and as we get closer to a drive or ballroom, particularly when using jackhammers or tapping the wall with a pick etc.
If it arises that when and if we break into, or access an old area/workings by other means, drill shaft eg. and we deem the previously worked area dangerous, loose, potentially unsupported etc. (as has been the case here and there) the goal is to take note and map it out as best we can on the current mines access plans for the Mines Dept. and then either secure the area if needed via propping, move to safer, more solid ground away from any potential risk or move/abandon the claim altogether depending on our best assessment through long term experience. Opal is certainly not worth your life.
This should be well explained in the safety courses and accompanying literature.
Hope that sheds a little more light on that matter for you.
Kindest regards,
Shauno.
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