The Slope Stability X26 (SSX26) Conference and Expo – an exhibition for tailings and geotechnical engineers – will display the latest developments and insights for mine slope stability and effective tailings management, says host The Open Business Group.

Intended to address the various challenges faced by the mining industry and promote the uptake of standards stipulated in the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), the SSX26 is a “first-of-its-kind event” for the South African mining sector, says The Open Business Group founder and chief experience officer George Landsberg.

Taking place from September 10 to 11 at the Garden Venue & Boutique Hotel, in Northriding, Johannesburg, the conference will be a platform for mining industry roleplayers to network about slope stability life cycle. Solutions to the continuous issues surrounding slope stability and tailings efficiency – including gaps in data, communication, the handover of project phases and governance frameworks – will also be discussed.

There are several geotechnical challenges regarding the management of slope stability and tailings storage facilities, including structurally-driven failures caused by irregularities in structural geology, soil characterisation quality, mine planning, monitoring gaps and late warnings, as well as rockfall protection shortcomings.

Structurally-driven failures include planar, wedge, topping and step-path mechanisms, which account for about 90% of openpit slope failures, says Landsberg.

“These gaps are rarely visible until something fails, and by then the cost is already being measured in downtime, environmental damage and lives . . . This [SSX26] is a working session, built on the conviction that when the right minds are in the same room, with the right information, the industry moves forward.”

He adds that the SSX26 is particularly important for South African mines, as they are renowned for falls-of-ground incidents.

Slope Stability Solutions

The conference will cover various phases of the slope stability life cycle, enabling delegates to experience the full journey of the life cycle under five programme themes: investigation and site characterisation, design and planning, construction and execution, monitoring and operations, and risk and governance.

Technologies that will be showcased at the event include the Maptek Sentry laser-based slope monitoring system, which facilitates continuous, real-time detections of ground movement at millimetre-level precision to enable for a proactive, data-driven level of geotechnical risk management.

“For mines with active highwalls, the ability to monitor continuously, rather than relying on periodic survey campaigns, can mean the difference between an early warning and an uncontrolled failure . . . where early warning systems were in place and heeded, lives were saved,” says Landsberg.

Geohazard protection company Geobrugg will also showcase its integrated asset management and monitoring service, which combines physical protection systems with digital monitoring and alarm capabilities.