Operational Geotechnical Engineering at the Ok Tedi Mine, Papua New Guinea

Ln a dynamic environment such as the Star Mountains of Papua New Guinea Geotechnical Engineering for the Ok Tedi Project must be described as both interesting and challenging. To be effective a reasonable sized team of dedicated people is required with occasional supplementation by specialist consultants and an annual review process. Ok Tedi Mining Limited's (OTML) Geotechnical Section has a vision to be recognised as the leading mine-based geotechnical engineering section in PNG and to be world class by any international standards. This paper deals with the organisational and operational duties of the Geotechnical Section at the Ok: Tedi Mine. One of our major roles is in the area of safety, and in particular in the early warning of natural and mining induced geological hazards that may affect safety and/or productivity. The major activities include geotechnical inspections (pit, waste dumps, tunnels, regional), data collection activities and database management, geotechnical design and control work. Other activities that are discussed include geotechnical activities reporting, geotechnical programme review, blast monitoring, quality initiatives, special projects, regional monitoring and geotechnical advice, communications and customer-supplier relationships. The authors hope that other Geotechnical Sections and the wider mining community in PNG and elsewhere can benefit from this comprehensive paper and the associated presentation.