Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey (SLR) Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
BLAST MANAGEMENT PLAN
Document Control Edition Revision Author Comment Date Authorised by 1 Rev 0 S. Haures Initial document 2 Rev 1 K Oxley Draft Project Approval 19/06/12 3 Rev 2 K Oxley Grant of Project 03/08/12 Approval 4 Rev 3 S Haures Final review 30/08/12 S Pearce 5 Rev 4 J Thompson Review June 2015 J Thompson 6 Rev 5 J Thompson MOD3 Approval May 2016 S. Ramsay 7 Rev 6 J Coffey (SLR) Mod 5 Approval June 2019 M Williams
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey (SLR) Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Contents 1 Introduction ...... 4 2 Consultation ...... 8 2.1 Environment Protection Authority Consultation...... 8 2.2 Landowner Consultation...... 8 3 Legal and Other Requirements ...... 10 3.1 Project Approval 10_0191 ...... 10 3.2 Environment Protection Licence 20179 ...... 13 3.3 Mining Lease ML1686 ...... 15 4 Objectives and Outcomes ...... 16 5 Blast Management Measures ...... 17 5.1 Blasting Design and Criteria ...... 17 5.2 Blasting Hours ...... 18 5.3 Blasting Frequency ...... 18 5.4 Safety ...... 18 5.5 Property Inspection ...... 18 5.6 Dust and Fumes ...... 18 5.7 Public Information for Blasting Operations ...... 19 6 Blast Monitoring Program ...... 19 6.1 Project Approval 10_0191 Compliance ...... 19 6.2 Dams Safety Committee Compliance ...... 21 7 Reporting and Evaluation of Compliance ...... 21 8 Incident Reporting and Contingency Plan ...... 21 9 Roles and Responsibilities ...... 22 10 Training and Awareness ...... 22 11 Review ...... 22 12 References ...... 23
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey (SLR) Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Figures Figure 1 Locality Plan 6 Figure 2 Approved Site Layout 7 Figure 3. Surrounding Land Ownership and Residences. 9 Figure 4. Blast Monitoring Locations 20
Tables Table 1 Project Approval Blast Conditions 10 Table 2 EPL 20179 conditions 14 Table 3 ML1686 conditions 16 Table 4. Objectives and Outcomes 16 Table 5. PA10_0191 and EPL 20179 Blast Criteria 17 Table 6. Contact Details for the Complaints Directory 21 Table 7. Roles and Responsibilities 22
Appendices Appendix A EPA Correspondence 24
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey (SLR) Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
1 Introduction Hera Mine is an underground metalliferous mine owned by Hera Resources Pty Ltd (Hera Resources), a wholly owned subsidiary of Aurelia Metals Limited (Aurelia). The mine is located approximately 100km southeast of Cobar and approximately 4km south of Nymagee in the central west of New South Wales (NSW) (refer Figure 1).
This Blast Management Plan has been prepared in accordance with Schedule 3, Condition 9 of Project Approval (PA) 10_0191 which was issued by the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) on 31 July 2012 under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). PA 10_0191 has since been modified five times with the most recent modification (MOD 5) being approved on 3rd December 2019. The site also operates in accordance with Environment Protection Licence (EPL) 20179, as well as Mining Lease (ML) 1686 (issued 16 May 2013) and ML 1746 (issued 7 December 2016) issued under the Mining Act 1992 (Mining Act).
This Blast Management Plan is limited in scope to the PA 10_0191 boundary and surrounding neighbouring properties with potential to be impacted by blast operations, and describes the following: • The consultation undertaken during preparation of this management plan; • The legal and other requirements associated with management of blast-related issues; • Blast management measures that will be implemented during the life of the mine; • Evaluation of compliance to blast operations; • Incident reporting; • Competence and awareness training; • Preventative measures; and • Document review.
Hera Mine (as approved) involves the following aspects (refer Figure 2): • Extraction of waste rock and metalliferous ore using underground open stope mining methods and underground load and haul operations until 31 December 2022, from ML1686 and ML1746. • Backfilling of underground stope voids created during underground mining using waste rock including waste rock transferred from the surface Waste Rock Emplacements (WREs). • Use of surface infrastructure required for the underground mine, including a box cut, portal and decline, magazines, fuel store, ventilation rises and power and water store. • Use of a processing plant, including a Run of Mine (ROM) pad, WRE, crushing, grinding and screening operations, gravity separation and flotation circuits to process up to 505,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of metalliferous ore to produce gold and silver doré (unrefined bars) and a zinc/lead concentrate. • Use of the Northern and Southern WREs for the placement of waste rock (to date only the Southern WRE is constructed). • Use of a Tailings Storage Facility (TSF), including cyanide detoxification of tailings prior to discharge to the TSF.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey (SLR) Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
• Use of ancillary facilities, including a ventilation rise, escapeway, Site Office, car park, Contractors Office, Laydown area and workshop, a Reagent Store, plant workshop, ablutions facilities, crib room, hardstand, laydown areas, concentrate storage shed, and an explosives magazine. • Use of a water management system to enable the harvesting and supply of water for environmental flows. • Use of a Light Vehicle Access Road and a Main Site Access Road and intersection to allow site access from Burthong Road. • Transportation of zinc/lead concentrate from the Mine to Hermidale via the Principal Concentrate Transportation Route, or when unavailable, via the Secondary Concentrate Transportation Route.
This version of the Blast Management Plan has been updated following approval of MOD 5, which included the following aspects: • Increasing the rate of transportation of concentrate from Hera Mine to the Hermidale rail siding from 50 000 tonnes (t) per calendar year to 60 000 t per calendar year including an increase of daily truck movements from 4 to 8; • Installation of a 13.7 hectare (ha), 204 mega litre (ML) to crest height Water Management Dam to act as an external decant pond for the existing TSF; • Receipt of water from dewatering of the Nymagee Copper Mine for use in processing operations at the Hera Mine or evaporation within the Water Management Dam; and • Increasing the approved maximum elevation of the Southern Waste Rock Emplacement from 10m above ground level to 15m above ground level, or approximately 350m AHD.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey (SLR) Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Figure 1 Locality Plan
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BRISBANE Q U E E N S L A N D T Q U E E N S L A N D IN " AD AD RE O Y ROON ROAD R WILGA AH COFFS HARBOUR N E W S O U TBH N E W S O U TLA H " WWAALLEESS O COBAR TAMWORTH " C GIRILAMBONE
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CANBELEGO COBAR THORNDALE " STATE STATE FOREST FOREST HERMIDALE " NYNGAN CANBELEGO " COBAR MIANDETTA " STATE FOREST
GRAYRIGG STATE FOREST
QUANDA NATURE RESERVE BARROW STATE FOREST
PANGEE STATE FOREST
PEISLEY STATE FOREST NYMAGEE " CUMBINE BALGAY GRAHWAY STATE STATE FOREST STATE FOREST COBAR FOREST TALGONG LOCAL GOVERNMENT STATE FOREST AREA WHARFDALE
STATE BALOWRA FOREST TOTTENHAM STATE STATE FOREST CONSERVATION AREA " TOTTENHAM BEDOOBA NANGERYBONE MERYULA STATE TABRATONG STATE FOREST BOBADAH STATE CONSERVATION AREA STATE STATE FOREST FOREST FOREST
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NATURE FOREST
Project Site Boundary RESERVE
Roads NOMBINNIE
630. 12807 Hera Gold Mine Management Plan Revisions Plan Management Mine Gold 12807 Hera 630. STATE \ Railways CONSERVATION AREA NTL - 630
\ Watercourses DERRIWONG BOOBEROI MOUNT TILGA STATE MOUNTAIN
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- National Park ROUND HILL FOREST STATE FOREST 630
\ NATURE MURDA State Forest RESERVE LACHLAN VALLEY SLR NOMBINN IE STATE - ORANGE TO NATURE NATIONAL PARK FOREST Local Government Area E RESERV CONDOBOLIN STATE Projects
\ I " H: FOREST CONDOBOLIN 0 5 10 15 20 Scale: 1:900,000 26-Jun-2019 km GDA 1994 MGA Zone 55 630.12807
Sheet Size : A4 Regional Locality
www.slrconsultingaustralia.com.au PH: 61 2 4037 3200 FIGURE 1
Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Figure 2 Approved Site Layout
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
2 Consultation 2.1 Environment Protection Authority Consultation Schedule 3, Condition 9 of PA 10_0191 requires this Blast Management Plan to be prepared in consultation with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) prior to being submitted to the Secretary of the DPIE for approval.
The following consultation was undertaken during the preparation of previous revisions of this document: • A draft of the management plan was sent to EPA for review on 4 July 2012. A response was received on 4 August 2012 stating that a review of the management plan would be undertaken in conjunction with the application for the EPL.
This revision of the Blast Management Plan was provided to the EPA for consultation on 16th February 2020. Feedback received is included as Appendix A and summarised below: • The EPA encourages the development of management plans as useful tools for industry. However the EPA does not make comment on such plans.
2.2 Landowner Consultation Schedule 4, Condition 1 of PA 10_0191 requires that the Company notify in writing the owners of privately-owned land within two kilometres of the approved blasting on site that they are entitled to request an inspection to establish the baseline condition of any buildings or structures on their land, or to have a previous property inspection report updated.
Figure 3 presents the residences surrounding the Mine. No buildings or structures are currently located within the 2km limit, therefore the proponent is not required to conduct any inspections on buildings/structures at neighbouring properties.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Figure 3. Surrounding Land Ownership and Residences.
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1720 1937 DP763825 DP763543 547 DP761551 7003 R1034288 1708 DP763437 1721 DP763505 DP1031423 R5 78 R69461 3 DP754780 11 DP754800
8 R4 887 1611 DP763454 1612 DP763455 DP762087
4 1939 DP763827 1716 DP763474 DP754800
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Residence (Project-related) 7 547 D P761551 Residence (Non Project-related) 8 EL6162 6549 DP769353 87 Village of Nymagee
Mining Lease 547 DP761551
ML1686 Exploration Licence R1021028 664 DP761702 R8792 Project Site Boundary
Road
630.12807 Hera Gold Mine Management Plan Revisions Plan Mine Management Gold Hera 630.12807 Track \
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\ H: I 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 Scale: 1:60,000 28-Jun-2019 km GDA 1994 MGA Zone 55 630.12807
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and Receptors
www.slrconsulting.com PH: 02 4037 3200 FIGURE 3
Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
3 Legal and Other Requirements
3.1 Project Approval 10_0191 PA 10_0191 stipulates the required criteria that the construction and operational activities of the Mine must comply with and sets out the core requirements of this management plan. Relevant conditions associated with this approval (including the relevant Statement of Commitments), and where they have been addressed in this document, are reproduced in Table 1. Table 1 Project Approval Blast Conditions Condition No. Condition Where addressed Schedule 3, Blasting Criteria Section 5 Condition 4 4. The Proponent shall ensure that blasting on the site does not cause exceedances of the criteria in Table 3. Table 3: Blasting Criteria Location Time Period Airblast Ground Allowable Overpressure Vibration Exceedance (dB(Lin Peak)) (mm/s) Residence Any time 120 10 0%
on Day 115 5 5% of total
privately- blasts over a owned period of 12 land months
Evening - 2 5% of total
blasts over a period of 12 months
Night and all - 1 0% day on Sundays and public holidays However, these criteria do not apply if the Proponent has a written agreement with the relevant landowner, and has advised the Department in writing of the terms of this agreement. Schedule 3, Blasting Hours Section 5.2 Condition 5 The Proponent shall only carry out above ground blasting on site between 9:00am and 5:00pm Monday to Saturday, inclusive. No above ground blasting is allowed on Sundays, public holidays or at any other time without the written approval of the Secretary. Schedule 3, Underground blasting may be undertaken at any time, subject to compliance Section 5.2 Condition 6 with the conditions of this approval.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Condition No. Condition Where addressed Schedule 3, Blasting Frequency Section 5.3 Condition 7 In relation to above ground blasting, the Proponent may carry out a maximum of: (a) three blasts per day, unless an additional blast is required following a blast misfire; and (b) five blasts per week, averaged over a calendar year, for all operations on the site. This condition does not apply to blasts that generate ground vibration of 0.5 mm/s or less at any residence on privately-owned land, or blasts required to ensure the safety of the site or its workers. Note: For the purpose of this condition, a blast refers to a single blast event, which may involve a number of individual blasts fired in quick succession in a discrete area of the site. Schedule 3, Operating Conditions Section 5.4 Condition 8 During operation of the project, the Proponent shall: (a) implement best management practice to: (i) protect the safety of people and livestock in the surrounding area; (ii) protect public or private infrastructure/property in the surrounding area Section 5.1 and from any damage; and Section 5.5 (iii) minimise the dust and fume emissions from any blasting; and Section 5.6 (b) operate a suitable system to enable the public to get up-to-date Section 5.7 information on the proposed blasting schedule on site, to the satisfaction of the Secretary. Schedule 3, Blast Management Plan This Document Condition 9 The Proponent shall prepare and implement a Blast Management Plan for the project to the satisfaction of the Secretary. This plan must: (a) be prepared in consultation with the EPA, and submitted to the Secretary Section 2 for approval within six months of this approval; (b) describe the blast mitigation measures that would be implemented to Section 5 ensure compliance with conditions 4-8 of this schedule; and (c) include a blast monitoring program to evaluate the performance of the Section 6 project. Schedule 4, NOTIFICATION OF LANDOWNERS Section 2.2 Condition 1 Within 3 months of the date of project approval, the Proponent shall notify in writing the owners of any privately-owned land within two kilometres of the approved blasting on site that they are entitled to request an inspection to establish the baseline condition of any buildings or structures on their land, or to have a previous property inspection report updated.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Condition No. Condition Where addressed Schedule 5, Management Plan Requirements Not applicable Condition 3 The Proponent shall ensure that the management plans required under this approval are prepared in accordance with any relevant guidelines, and include: (a) detailed baseline data; (b) a description of: Section 3 (i) the relevant statutory requirements (including any relevant approval, licence or lease conditions); (ii) any relevant limits or performance measures/criteria; (iii) the specific performance indicators that are proposed to be used to judge the performance of, or guide the implementation of, the project or any management measures; (c) a description of the measures that would be implemented to comply with Section 5 the relevant statutory requirements, limits, or performance measures/criteria; (d) a program to monitor and report on the: Section 6 (i) impacts and environmental performance of the project; Section 7 (ii) effectiveness of any management measures (see c above); (e) a contingency plan to manage any unpredicted impacts and their Section 8 consequences and to ensure that ongoing impacts reduce to levels below relevant impact assessment criteria as quickly as possible; (f) a protocol for managing and reporting any: Section 8 (i) incidents; (ii) complaints; (iii) non-compliances with statutory requirements; and (iv) exceedances of the impact assessment criteria and/or performance criteria; and (g) a protocol for periodic review of the plan. Section 11 Note: The Secretary may waive some of these requirements if they are unnecessary for particular management plans.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Condition No. Condition Where addressed Schedule 5, Revision of Strategies, Plans and Programs Section 11 Condition 5 Within three months of: (a) the submission of an annual review under condition 4 above; (b) the submission of an incident report under condition 7 below; (c) the submission of an audit under condition 9 below; or (d) any modification to the conditions of this approval (unless the conditions require otherwise), the Proponent shall review, and if necessary revise, the strategies, plans, and programs required under this approval to the satisfaction of the Secretary. Note: This is to ensure the strategies, plans and programs are updated on a regular basis, and incorporate any recommended measures to improve the environmental performance of the project. Schedule 5, REPORTING Section 7 Condition 7A Incident Reporting The Proponent must immediately notify the Department and any other relevant agencies immediately after it becomes aware of an incident. The notification must be in writing and identify the development (including the development application number and name) and set out the location and nature of the incident.
Schedule 5, Non Compliance Notification Section 7 Condition 7B Within seven days of becoming aware of a non-compliance, the Proponent must notify the Department of the non-compliance. The notification must be in writing and identify the development (including the development application number and name), set out the condition of this consent that the development is non-compliant with, why it does not comply and the reasons for the non-compliance (if known) and what actions have been, or will be, undertaken to address the non-compliance.
Note: A non-compliance which has been notified as an incident does not need to also be notified as a noncompliance.
3.2 Environment Protection Licence 20179 Table 2 presents a summary of the EPL 20179 conditions relating to this management plan, and where they have been addressed within this document.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Table 2 EPL 20179 conditions Condition Condition Where No. addressed L5.1 Blasting overpressure and ground vibration. Section 5.1 The proponent must ensure that the blasting on site does not cause exceedances of the criteria in the following table: Location Time of Airblast Ground Allowable Blasting Overpressure Vibration exceedance dB(Lin Peak) mm/s Any residence Any time 120 10 Nil on privately owned land Any residence Day, excluding 115 5 5% of the total on privately Sundays and number of owned land Public Holidays blasts over a period of 12 months Any residence Evening, - 2 5% of the total on privately excluding number of owned land Sundays and blasts over a Public Holidays period of 12 months Any residence Night and all - 1 Nil on privately day on Sundays owned land and Public Holidays Note: a. Error margins associated with any monitoring equipment used to measure this are not to be taken into account in determining whether or not the limit has been exceeded. b. All blasts are to be designed by a suitably qualified /experienced blasting engineer L5.2 For the purpose of Condition L5.1: Section 5.1 • Day is defined as the period from 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 6pm Sundays and Public Holidays; • Evening is defined as the period from 6pm to 10pm; and • Night is defined as the period from 10pm to 7am Monday to Saturday and 10pm to 8am Sundays and Public Holidays. L5.3 Surface Blasting operations at the premises may only take place between Section 5.2 9:00am-5:00pm Monday to Saturday. Surface Blasting is not permitted on Sundays or public holidays. Surface Blasting outside the hours specified can only take place with the written approval of the Environment Protection Authority. Underground Blasting may be undertaken at any time subject to Condition L5.1.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Condition Condition Where No. addressed L5.4 A breach of the licence will still occur where airblast overpressure or ground Section 8 vibration levels from the blasting operations at the premises exceeds the limit specified in Condition L5.1 at any "noise sensitive locations" other than the locations identified in the above conditions. L5.5 The Proponent may exceed the limits in Condition L5.1 if it has a written Section 5.1 negotiated blasting agreement with any landowner for higher blasting overpressure and vibration limits, and a copy of the agreement has been forwarded to the EPA. L5.6 Airblast overpressure or ground vibration as a result of blasting at the Section 5.1 premises must not exceed levels that cause cosmetic or other damage, and in relation to Condition L5.5 only if specifically allowed for in the written agreement between the proponent and the landholder. R1.1 Annual Return Documents Section 7 The licensee must complete and supply to the EPA an Annual Return in the approved form comprising: 1. a Statement of Compliance, 2. a Monitoring and Complaints Summary, 3. a Statement of Compliance - Licence Conditions, 4. a Statement of Compliance - Load Based Fee, 5. a Statement of Compliance - Requirement to Prepare Pollution Incident Response Management Plan, 6. a Statement of Compliance - Requirement to Publish Pollution Monitoring Data; and 7. a Statement of Compliance - Environmental Management Systems and Practices. At the end of each reporting period, the EPA will provide to the licensee a copy of the form that must be completed and returned to the EPA.
3.3 Mining Lease ML1686 Table 3 presents a summary of the ML 1686 conditions relating to this management plan, and where they have been addressed within this document.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Table 3 ML1686 conditions Condition Condition Where No. addressed 10(a) Ground vibration Section 5 The lease holder must ensure that the ground vibration peak particle velocity generated by any blasting within the lease area does not exceed 10 mm/second and does not exceed 5 mm/second in more than 5% of the total number of blasts over a period of 12 months at any dwelling or occupied premises as the case may be, unless determined otherwise by the DPIE (formerly Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water 10(b) Blast Overpressure Section 5 The lease holder must ensure that the blast overpressure noise level generated by any blasting within the lease area does not exceed 120 dB (linear) and does not exceed 115 dB (linear) in more than 5% of the total number of blasts over a period of 12 months, at any dwelling or occupied premises, as the case may be, unless determined otherwise by the DPIE (formerly Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.
4 Objectives and Outcomes The objectives and outcomes of this management plan are identified in Table 4. Table 4. Objectives and Outcomes Objective Outcome (a) To ensure compliance with all relevant Project (i) Compliance with all relevant criteria and Approval and Environment Protection Licence reasonable community expectations. criteria and reasonable community expectations. (b) To implement appropriate blast management and (ii) All identified blast management and mitigation mitigation measures during all stages of the measures implemented. operation. (c) To ensure the safety of people, property, livestock, (iii) All safety measures are implemented. powerlines or other infrastructure (d) To implement an appropriate blast monitoring (iv) All identified monitoring undertaken in program to establish compliance or otherwise with accordance with the relevant procedures and relevant criteria during all stages of the operation. at the relevant intervals (e) To implement an appropriate complaints handling (v) Complaints (if any) handled and responded to and response protocol in an appropriate manner. (f) To implement appropriate corrective and (vi) Corrective and preventative actions preventative actions, if required. implemented, if required (g) To implement an appropriate incident reporting (vii)Incidents (if any) reported in an appropriate program, if required. manner.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
5 Blast Management Measures Schedule 3, Condition 9 of PA 10_0191 identifies that this management plan is required to describe the blast mitigation measures that will be implemented to ensure compliance with Schedule 3, Conditions 4 to 8 (refer Table 1). This section has been prepared in satisfaction of that requirement and describes the blasting criteria, hours, frequency, safety, property inspections and investigations.
5.1 Blasting Design and Criteria All blasts will be designed by a suitably qualified and experienced blasting engineer or shot-firer to ensure that each is designed in accordance with the ANZECC Blasting Guidelines (1990) to achieve the relevant criteria. In addition, until such time as a suitable site law has been established, each blast will be designed using industry standard formula in a manner that ensures compliance with blast criteria identified in PA10_0191 Schedule 3, Condition 4, and EPL 20179 Condition L5.1. These criteria are reproduced in Table 5. Table 5. PA10_0191 and EPL 20179 Blast Criteria Location Time Period Airblast Overpressure Ground Vibration Allowable Exceedance (dB(Lin Peak)) (mm/s) Residence on Any time 120 10 0% privately- Day1 115 5 5% of total blasts over a owned land period of 12 months Evening2 - 2 5% of total blasts over a period of 12 months Night3 and all day on - 1 0% Sundays and public holidays 1. Day is defined as the period from 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 6pm Sundays and Public Holidays. 2. Evening is defined as the period from 6pm to 10pm. 3. Night is defined as the period from 10pm to 7am Monday to Saturday and 10pm to 8am Sundays and Public Holidays.
The following parameters will be considered in order to reduce overpressure and ground vibrations: • Amount of explosives; • Direction of initiation; • Consideration of ambient weather conditions including consideration of cloud cover and inversions; • Relief (amount of confinement); • Ground type (weathered or competent); and • Initiation delay timing. Once sufficient blast monitoring data has been collected, a suitable blasting site law will be developed in accordance with industry practice and all subsequent blasts will be designed to ensure that the blast criteria identified in PA 10_0191 Schedule 3, Condition 4 are complied with.
PA 10_0191 Schedule 3, Condition 4 states these criteria do not apply if the Company and the relevant landowner have a written agreement and has been advised to DPIE in writing the terms of this agreement.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
It is anticipated that this condition will not be acted upon, however if required, the following will be undertaken prior to any blasting occurring where the criteria cannot be achieved: • Acceptable blast criteria by both parties will be negotiated; • If required, compensation to an acceptable level to both parties will be negotiated; and • A written agreement will be established and provided to DPIE prior to any blasting.
5.2 Blasting Hours All blasting operations will be undertaken during the hours identified in PA 10_0191 Schedule 3, Conditions 5 and 6 as follows: • Surface blasting will be undertaken only between the hours of 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Saturday except for emergency or safety-related reasons. No surface blasting will be undertaken on Sundays or public holidays without the written approval of the Secretary of DPIE; and • Underground blasting may be undertaken at any time.
5.3 Blasting Frequency Above ground blasting operations will not exceed three blasts per day, unless an additional blast is required following a blast misfire, with no more than five blasts per week, averaged over a calendar year. Blasts will only be undertaken outside these frequency parameters if it is required to ensure the safety of the site or its workers. More frequent blasts may be undertaken where ground vibration at any residence on privately-owned land is 0.5mm/s or less.
5.4 Safety To ensure the safety of persons and any livestock in the surrounding area, the following will be implemented: • Appropriate signage and notification will be provided; and • All blasts will be designed by a suitably qualified and experienced person/s to minimise the potential for fly-rock.
5.5 Property Inspection If surrounding landowners believe that onsite blasting operations are causing damage to their property, the Company will offer to provide an inspection by an independent, suitably qualified and experienced expert. This will be conducted at the Company’s expense and the final report will be provided to the landowner.
5.6 Dust and Fumes To minimise dust and fumes caused by surface blasting the following procedures will be implemented: • Avoid surface blasting in strong wind conditions; • Minimise time between drilling and loading to reduce blast hole deterioration; and • Minimise moisture content within blast holes to reduce potential fumes.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
5.7 Public Information for Blasting Operations Schedule 3, Condition 8(b) of PA10_0191 requires that this document describe the measures that will be implemented to ensure that the public can get up-to-date information on the proposed blasting schedule. These measures will include the following: • Blasting schedule is to fire only from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday. No above ground blasting is allowed on Sundays, public holidays or at any other time without the written approval of the Secretary. • Planned blasting schedule will be placed on the company website in monthly reports; • The nearest property owners and local police (02 6837 3851)will be contacted prior to any surface blast and advised of the day and approximate time the blast will occur; and • Both surface and underground blast monitoring results will be made available to the Nymagee community via the Aurelia Metals website monthly reports.
6 Blast Monitoring Program 6.1 Project Approval 10_0191 Compliance Schedule 3, Condition 9(c) of PA 10_0191 requires that a blast monitoring program be implemented to evaluate the performance of the mine. All blast characteristics are monitored by a fit for purpose blast monitor that has been installed, calibrated and maintained according to Australian Standard (AS) 2187.2- 2006 and manufactures requirements. The blast monitor is located adjacent to the dwelling on the nearest neighbour’s property (shown as R3 on Figure 4).
Each underground blast is monitored for ground vibration and surface blasts are monitored for ground vibration and blast overpressure. All blast designs (e.g. amount of explosives, blast patterns, etc.) and date and times of blasts are recorded, and the blast data is collected daily.
If requested by a landowner and/or tenant, blast monitoring will be conducted near their residence as required. The blast monitoring results will be supplied to the landowner and/or tenant.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Figure 4. Blast Monitoring Locations
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R4 R4 !>8
onitoring_01.mxd
R3 SLR63012807_BlastM \ EL6162 R3 8>!
ArcGIS \ ML1746 CADGIS
01 R6 \ 78 87 Data
SLR
06 \ LEGEND
Revisions !> Blast Monitor
Plan TSF!> 7 Residence (Project-related)
8 Residence (Non Project-related) Management Mining Lease Mine
Exploration Licence ML1686 Gold
Hera
Project Site Boundary Road 630.12807 \ Track NTL - Pipeline
630 R2 \ Creek R1 8 SrvNTL -
630 Dams \ 8 Underground mining area SLR - Projects
\ Site infrastructure
H: 0 250 500 750 1,000 Scale: 1:50,000 29-Jan-2020 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 55 I630.12807
Sheet Size : A4 Blast Monitoring Locations
www.slrconsulting.com PH: 02 4037 3200 FIGURE 4
Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
6.2 Dams Safety Committee Compliance A blast monitor is installed adjacent to the TSF (refer Figure 4) to monitor blast vibration originating from the site. All blast characteristics are monitored by a fit for purpose blast monitor that has been installed, calibrated and maintained according to AS 2187.2-2006 and the manufacturers requirements.
7 Reporting and Evaluation of Compliance The Company will publish a monthly report on the Aurelia Metals website summarising the blast monitoring results against the PA 10_0191 and EPL 20179 criteria. This information will also be published in the Annual Review, along with a summary of any blast-related complaints received for the reporting period. The Annual Review will be made available on the Aurelia Metals website. Additionally, blast monitoring results will be provided to the EPA in the Annual Return that is prepared for the site each year.
8 Incident Reporting and Contingency Plan Complaints can be directed to the Company via phone or email. These details are presented in Table 6 and are advertised to the local community, as well as being available on the Aurelia Metals website. Table 6. Contact Details for the Complaints Directory Method Details Email [email protected] Telephone 1300 016 240
In the event of a blast incident, complaint, non-compliance or exceedance, the Company will initiate an investigation. The incident and subsequent investigation will be reported to the DPIE Resources Regulator, DPIE and EPA. The investigation will seek to determine: • What occurred at the time of the incident; • The root cause of the incident; • Any contributing factors which led to the incident; • Whether appropriate controls were implemented to prevent the incident; and • Recommendations for corrective and/or preventative actions that could be implemented to reduce the likelihood of the incident reoccurring. Incident investigations will be communicated to all personnel through toolbox meetings and/or company memorandums. Any potentially affected landholder will be notified of the exceedance and provided with blast monitoring results. If required, following the incident investigation, this Blast Management Plan will be revised and updated in consultation with the DPIE and EPA.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
9 Roles and Responsibilities Table 7 lists the roles and responsibilities for the Blast Management Plan. Table 7. Roles and Responsibilities Position Accountable Task General Manager • Ensure the resources are available for the implementation of this management plan. • Accountable for the overall environmental performance of the operation, including the outcomes of this management plan Environment Advisor • Notification of surface blasts to relevant landowners and local police. • Monitor blast overpressure and ground vibration levels and act upon any non-compliances. • Record and report all monitoring results. • Update publicly available information. • Respond, investigate and apply corrective and preventive measures to any exceedances or complaints. • Ensure training and the awareness of this management plan to employees and contractors. • Ensure this management plan is reviewed periodically and/or as required. Blasting engineer / shot-firer • Design and implement blasts to achieve the relevant blasting design criteria, limits, hours, frequency, safety, and dust and fume emissions.
10 Training and Awareness All personnel will undergo blast awareness training. Blast awareness training will be a component of the competency based site induction program.
11 Review In accordance with Schedule 5, Condition 5 of PA 10_0191, this management plan will be reviewed and, if required, revised within 3 months of: • the submission of an annual review under Condition 4; • the submission of an incident report under Condition 7; • the submission of an independent audit report under Condition 9; and • any modification to the conditions of PA10_0191 (unless the conditions require otherwise).
This review will include the adequacy of strategies, plans and programs as required under PA 10_0191. Any recommendations for appropriate measures or action to improve the environmental performance of the Mine and or any assessment, plan or program will be incorporated into this management plan.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
12 References Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) (1990) Technical Basis for Guidelines to Minimise Annoyance Due to Blasting Overpressure and Ground Vibration.
Standards Australia (2006) Australian Standard (AS) 2187.2-2006 Explosives - Storage and Use of Explosives.
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Blast Management Plan AUR- Author J Coffey Created 19 June 2012 Approved M Williams Review date 3 June 2019 Version Rev 6 Updated 3 June 2019
Appendix A EPA Correspondence.
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Our reference: SF18/73934; DOC20/136727-3 Contact : Mr Joshua Loxley; (02) 6883 5326
Aurelia Metals Ltd Suite 5, Level 2 60-62 McNamara Street ORANGE NSW 2800
27 February 2020
Dear Mr Thompson
Request to Review Hera Gold Mine Blast Management Plan (PAE-2068)
I refer to your request via the NSW Planning Portal for the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to review Aurelia Metals Ltd’s Blast management plan for the Hera Gold Mine (the premises) dated 16 February 2020.
As part of the regulatory process, the EPA encourages the preparation of strategies, programs and plans as useful tools for industry to detail how they will meet their statutory obligations and environmental objectives.
The EPA does not usually review management plans, as its role is to set conditions for environment protection and management, rather than be directly involved in the development of strategies to comply with those conditions.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Mr Joshua Loxley at the Central West (Dubbo) Office of the EPA on (02) 6333 3800 or via e-mail to [email protected].
Yours sincerely
DUNCAN MCGREGOR Acting Unit Head Central West Region Environment Protection Authority