Health, Safety, Environment Mining University Leoben

Thomas Spörker
working paper October 2018

part 3

4. Protection of the Environment

4.1 Environmental Issues

Waste Management Act

 objectives
o no adverse effects
o minimize emissions
o protect and save resources
o no danger for future generations
 principles
o waste avoidance
o waste management
o waste disposal

Water Management Act

 water utilization
 use of groundwater
 protection and keeping clean of waters
 protection of waters means protection of surface water, riverbank and groundwater
 pollution means
o directly or indirect release of substances or heat into water, which harms
 the human health
 the quality of aquatic ecosystems
 directly dependent terrestrial ecosystems or
 brings an impairment or disorder of the value of recreation
o general concern for pollution control
o storage and transport of substances hazardous to water
 operations need to be designed, built, operated and abandoned that
contamination of water is not to be expected
o restrictions and bans on injecting media

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Forestry Act
 objectives
o conservation of forests and forest floors
o ensuring a sustainable forest cultivation
 definition of forests
 deforestation
o use of forest land for purposes other than for those of forest culture

Environmental Information Act

 objectives
o easy access to environmental information
o reporting to authorities
 status
o air, water, soil, land, landscape
o natural habitats, biodiversity
 impact
o substances, energy, noise, radiation
o waste including radioactive waste, emissions
 measures
o policies, legislation, plans, programs, activities
o administrative acts, environmental agreements
 content of information
o name (company) of the facility and site
o informed person
o description of the plant and the activity
o dangers, hazards
o dangerous substances (type and quantity)
o nature of risks which can arise from incidents
o behavior measures
 type of information
o internet
o information at the gate of the operation
o leaflets, unaddressed mail
o open day, information event
o announcement in a local print media, radio, TV

Incident Information Order

 criteria for the selection of facilities subject to incident information order

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Directive on Industrial Emissions
 protection of the environment (air, soil, water) in the framework of an "integrated
analysis"
 avoid protection of one protection objective at the expense of another
 installations need to be operated according to "best available techniques"

Seveso Directive - Industrial Accident

 directive on control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances
 applies to operations where threshold values on dangerous substances are exceeded
 in the area of mining for certain processing activities
o chemical or thermal processing
o storage operations associated with these processing operations
o operational tailings disposal facilities, including tailings ponds or sedimentation
ponds
o gas storage operations
 level 1 and level 2 operations
 reporting of serious accidents
 safety concept
 security report
 internal emergency plan
 security management system

Environmental Impact Assessment

 concentrated approval procedure
 provincial government applies all relevant laws
 examples
o production of oil and gas
o transportation of oil and gas
o carbon capture and storage
o frac stimulation

4.2 climate issues

 climate strategies
o United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - UNFCCC
o Climate Change Conference - Kyoto Protocol
o flexible mechanisms
 International Emissions Trading (IET)
 Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

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  Joint Implementation (JI)
 Domestic Offset Projects (DOP)
o climate protection targets
o CO2 equivalents
 one metric ton of CO2 or an amount of other GHGs with equivalent global
warming potential
 greenhouse gas emissions
 natural and anthropogenic climate risk
o influence, boundary conditions
o possibilities for the reduction of atmospheric CO2

4.3 Carbon Capture and Storage

 definitions
o sequestration
o geological sequestration
o carbon capture and storage
o acid gas injection
 opportunities
 reference projects
 potentials (national, global)
 geological, technical and safety aspects
o wellbore integrity, reservoir integrity, long-term safety
o release scenarios
o monitoring
 European directive on the geological storage of CO2
 national transposition of the European directive

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5. Risk management
5.1 Risk Management System

Elements of a Risk Management System

 system definition and delimitation
 risk assessment
o risk identification
 possible dangers, hazards, risks
 risk identification tools (e.g. JSA, HAZID)
o risk analysis
 classification of probability
 severity - classification negative effects
 risk = probability x severity
o risk evaluation
 risk treatment (risk response)
o risk matrix, risk inventory
o avoid, mitigate, transfer
o set required actions, measures
 risk prevention
 risk reduction
 residual risk (warnings, instructions, training)
o risk acceptance
 risk monitoring
o risk indicators
 measurable sizes
 correct selection of appropriate indicators
o documentation
o recurrent review

Crisis Management
 management and communication of crisis in the public
 factors for a successful crisis management

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5.2 Emergency Planning

Legal Framework
 mining rights holder has to take precautions to protect
o human health and safety
o property owned by third parties and not assigned to him for his use
o the environment
o mineral deposits
o the surface and has to
o ensure that the surface remains useable after the cessation of the mining activities
 mining rights holder has to
o draw up and regularly update an emergency plan
o for accidents, dangerous occurrences
o for reasonably predictable natural and industrial disasters and
o undertake the necessary action where required
 emergency plan describes the guidelines for rescue operations
 emergency plan comprises of
o alert strategy plan and
o action plan

Alert Strategy Plan

 directory of required emergency numbers
 correct emergency numbers are of key importance
 work out and regularly update
 designate a person who is responsible for the update
 ensure, that changes are fully taken into account
 clear alerting schema (when - who - whom - how)
 clear alarm message
 who has to be informed
o persons and institutions
o in-house and externally
 objectives
o optimal and efficient communication of all authorities and institutions
o standardized forms for registration of emergencies
o different hazards may require different alert plans
o where necessary, prepare alert plans for working days and weekends respectively
public holidays

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Action Plan
 possible events (examples)
o health and safety of persons
o explosion, fire, health endangering and irrespirable media
o environmental hazards
o technical incidents
o force of nature
o burglary, vandalism
o sabotage and terror
 possible causes (examples)
o technical failure of equipment or safety equipment
o fatigue
o human error
o geogenic hazards (landslides)
o external effects (natural disasters, sabotage, terror)
 predictable scenarios (examples)
o scope and impact of the event
o affecting life and health of persons
o affecting third party property
o affecting environment
o affecting surface, surface use
 possible effects / impacts (examples)
o people are injured, trapped
o fire - heat effect
o explosion - shockwaves
o formation of areas with toxic or irrespirable media - gas cloud
o environmental damage
o secondary events in neighboring industrial plants "Domino effects"
o reputational damage
 available sources of information, documents (examples)
o security reports
o risk assessment
o project documentation, permit notifications
o expert opinions
o orders of authorities
o operating experience, information by third parties
 required actions (examples)

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 o clear procedure who is responsible for mission control
o definition of responsibilities and tasks
o authorization to initiate the emergency measures
o type of information for employees
o measures for the evacuation and rescue of persons
o arrangements for safeguarding danger areas
o facilities for determining climatic conditions
o operational facilities and equipment
o required resources
o description of all necessary measures
o equipment necessary to combat the outbreak and spread of hazards
o evacuation, barriers
o information to the public
o traffic block on roads and railways, overflight bans
o shutting off power supply systems, water conservation measures
o closure / decommissioning adjacent plants
 scope of action plans
o spatial, temporary, objective, functional
o issuing date
o date and version of the final version
o person responsible for recurrent update
 map series, descriptions
o overview plan (building, equipment, storages)
o detail designs (installations, access roads)
o display sensitive plant areas
o ex-zones plan, fire protection plan, gas protection plan
o blow out prevention plan
 information concerning operation site
o operating purpose, operating hours, number of workers
o description of activities, productions, safety-relevant components, procedures
o description of dangerous technical facilities
o what dangerous substances are present / may arise
 information concerning surrounding
o residential buildings, public facilities, industrial (interactions)
o transport paths, public transport facilities
o protected areas, water bodies, protected well area
o other protection objectives

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5.3 Austrian Gas Protection Service

Internal Rescue Operations - Key Elements

 duty of the mining rights holder to take safety precautions
 making appropriate preparations in order to assist in rescue operations and taking
required measures in emergency situations
 local guides
 cooperation and assistance agreements with emergency services
 responsibility for mission control lies with the site manager

Transition of the Command of Rescue Operations

 if the measures provided in the emergency plan are insufficient for a successful rescue
operation, in particular
o if the scale and duration of the operation will overstrain the mission command
structure or
o the available rescue teams and equipment are insufficient,
 the command of the rescue operation shall pass to the provincial governor.

Higher Level Rescue Operations - Key Elements

 rendering of assistance in the event of accidents
 central gas protection station, obligations
o advising mining rights holders on gas protection issues
o coordination of organizational and technical tasks – beyond the internal level - for
best emergency preparedness
o responsibilities of the central gas protection station
 inventory of equipment available for rescue teams
 draw up the main rescue plan for joint assistance and the conduct of rescue
operations; updating the same as necessary
 concluding cooperation and assistance agreements with e.g. the Austrian
Federal Armed Forces, fire services, tunnel rescue teams, emergency
services and disaster relief organizations, foreign mine rescue teams
 determining the principles for the gas protection service
 determining the state of the rescue service and report to the Minister of
Science, Research and Economy
 mine right holders have to provide the following information to the central gas
protection station
o own emergency plans
o mine maps and other required site maps
o inventories of their equipment

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  contribution to the gas protection service
o gas rescue teams (technical support teams)
o mining equipment,
o logistics, management and the like
o or financial resources

Critical Issues of the Mining Rights Holder

 duty to take safety precautions
 necessary precautions in the alert strategy and action plan
 mine maps up-to-date
 local guides (location briefing, pointing out dangers)
 recurrent instructions, regular training
 information to the gas protection station on
o emergency plans, mine maps
o inventories of their equipment
o training schedule
o size of technical support teams

6. Preparation of Application Documents

 sources and requirements in standards
 content and scope
 construction permit plan, technical descriptions
 temporal component
 orientation with relevant legislation

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