SRK Moscow is involved in the development and updating of the Russian Rules for the Stability of Benches of Slopes of Open Pits and Waste Dumps (Rules). Russian and international experience was considered and adapted to meet new regulatory requirements.
The Rules are based on the outcome of the Large Open Pit (LOP) project and subsequent Guidelines for Open Pit Slope Design (2010) edited by John Read and Peter Stacey and other publications sponsored by the LOP.
Many Russian mining companies were involved in financing this program. Several universities, consulting and scientific organisations were engaged in the development of the Rules. SRK Moscow participated in the development of the updated regulations and provided input through local and internationally gained experience. The updated legislation requires that the design must be reviewed by qualified experts and approved by supervisory state bodies before open pit mining can commence. These reviews ensure that the Rules comply with all relevant regulations.
The new Rules, brought into effect in 2021, have the force of a technical law which must be followed by all entities involved in research, justification, design, review and implementation at all stages of project development. The Rules summarise a wide range of requirements for geological and hydrogeological studies, stability analysis, monitoring methods, estimation and analysis of geotechnical risks, management of slope stability by developing special measures to reduce risks. Procedures for interaction between production and scientific specialists, designers and experts are defined. Depending on the complexity and the stage of a mining project, specific types of studies, minimum requirements and the analytical methods are specified. TheRules document is sufficiently flexible to consider future trends. SRK supports additional guidelines, such as:
• Guidelines for geotechnical and hydrogeological studies and rock mass mapping
• Guidelines for estimating slope and bench parameters for open pits andwaste dumps
• Guidelines for monitoring failure and managing risks for stability of slopes and benches for open pits and waste dumps.
