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Mine site safety

Mine sites can pose very serious risks for people especially children and pets. Most Australian States have tried to reduce the dangers of open shafts and bad ground by filling and marking where possible. In some areas the numbers of old mines are just too numerous and the locations are too isolated for these sorts of measures.

In general, entering a mining area is all about reading the signs. Not just those posted to advise of a claim or warnings, but the signs of activity that has taken place in the area. If there is a large amount of spoil (mulloch or waste rock), then you can assume any shafts that are found will probably be deep. Look at the ground around where the headframe once stood. Is it showing sign of cracking or settling? Has erosion taken place around the collar area (the timbers around the top of the shaft). You don't just drive up and jump-out of your car to inspect it without knowing if the area is stable. Better to park 50 metres off and stroll up to the shaft area while you have a good look around. Never go close to an open shaft without walking around it first. You are looking for signs that the ground is stable and water hasn't eaten away the underpinning soil.

Beware of tripping on buried wire or debris near a hole.

Do not forget to keep your eyes open when walking around a mine site away from the main shaft. Look where you are going, air shafts are often small and difficult to spot. I found one, up against a tree, about 100 metres from the main shaft at one old mine site. It was less than a metre wide and level with the surrounding ground. I dropped a rock down it and listened to it bouncing off the sides until I couldn't hear it any more. It would have been many hundreds of metres deep.

Do not try and climb down a shaft where there are ladders remaining. This sort of thing is serious business for serious prospectors who have the equipment and the backup of a support team in case something goes wrong.

Be careful of areas that indicate chemicals or compound spills. These can be away from the mine shaft and would probably be treatment areas. White powder can be the result of acids or other materials associated with treating ores. The chances of an active ingredient are minimal but it is better to avoid such areas especially if you are taking soil for panning off.

Old Mill sites should be mentioned here. Both the old stamp-mills and the modern cyanide plants have considerable potential for risk. Old gold-battery sites used considerable amounts of liquid mercury and lost a high percentage during the process. Lighting a fire to cook your chops could be a killer. Old mercury turns to gas with sufficiant heat and will accumulate in the body. If you must light a fire on the ground near a battery site, be careful you are not exposing yourself and others to this real danger.

Modern cyanide mills have a cocktail of chemical around them. Cyanide, of course is but one. It degrades after exposure to air and water, but acids are used as are caustic substances and these can cause similar problems to mercury if you are cooking-up a stew. Open cuts are likely to absorb some of these chemical if they are present. Wash your hands before eating if you have been sampling or panning fines in search of colour. A simple plan is visit and camp away. Do you take your rubbish to the tip, have a scratch around, and eat a hamburger on the way home? Oh! . . . You do? Mmmm!

If signs of recent activity exists around a mine site or, there are tools or equipment laying about, assume the site is a working claim and leave everything alone. I once met a gentleman while prospecting who proudly showed me the 'relics' he had found in an abandoned campsite. He was as pleased as punch and, no doubt, could see them on and around his bar at home. I suggested that he take them back and replace them exactly where he had found them because they were a prospectors gear: left on site to indicate he was working in the area. I also suggested that I would need them in a few days time. I followed him back to my camp to make sure he complied.

The temptation to explore into adits or declines is great. It can also be very dangerous and should never be attempted without experience. Use a spotlight and look from the portal if you must but beware of the obvious dangers and the less obvious . . . gas. In all underground mine exploration it is a must that someone knows what you are doing and is safe outside in case help is required.

If you discover a dangerous open shaft, try and get a GPS position and WRITE to the mines department giving its location and a risk assessment. My suggestion . . .Victoria in particular.

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