Geotechnical Advisory

Our business has a proven track record in delivering strategies and processes that have measured significant benefits for clients. CM&G is propelled by a team with extensive hands-on experience and rigorous technical oversight who understand all the geotechnical-dependent mine design and mine operation options and decisions that deliver safety and value to an active mine asset or project. Our team will work to critically assess each operating site or project in identifying ground-related pitfalls and opportunities towards optimising resource extraction value.

Our capabilities include:

• Due-diligence and project valuations
• Pre-feasibility, feasibility and concept studies (surface and underground mines)
• Strategic and independent third-party design reviews (RPEQ assessment and approval)
• Auditing and developing principal hazard management policies and processes
• Auditing geotechnical systems and standards
• Forensic geotechnical engineering analysis
• Geotechnical assurance auditing
• Ensuring statutory compliance with regulatory frameworks relevant to ground control
• Developing and managing best practice feasibility studies and outcomes
• Providing geotechnical oversight to operations and engineering project teams
• Supporting advice in directional studies and the planning of growth options
• Coordinating requirements for mine studies and life-of-assets.

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Tailings Dams Engineering

CM&G provides leading practical solutions that balance tailings governance, tailings associated risk and critical controls management, safety, and commercial mining requirements. Our expert team will work with you to deliver a bespoke approach to the design, construction and risk-profiling of tailings storage/disposal facilities. CM&G understands the critical nature of tailings dams stability and associated governance and mine-waste management protocols, and will guide you through all process stages enabling performance-based (and risk-informed) decision-making.

Our capabilities include:

• Routine and comprehensive inspections
• Dam safety reviewing
• Third-party reviewing and due-diligence
• Design of tailings dams and appurtenances
• Tailings disposal and storage facility monitoring and surveillance
• Construction and operational site support
• Site investigations and appraisals
• Dam break studies, Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Breach analysis and inundation mapping (or Failure Impact Assessments)
• Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Assessments (QRA)
• Tailings dam risk profiling and consequence category classification
• Tailings governance audits.

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Infrastructure Ground Engineering

CM&G closely examines your mining infrastructure function and designs detailed approaches to optimising your material use and construction methodologies. Our team of experts go further in identifying the availability of materials on-site that might appear redundant but could in fact greatly enhance efficiencies and deliver real cost savings. CM&G can deliver project solutions relating to infrastructure including foundations, haul-roads, rail, dams, levees, drains, ROM pads, lay-down areas, retention systems, embankments, and cuttings.

Our capabilities:

• Concept development studies of ground engineering solutions
• Civil slope stability and foundations design and analysis
• Optimisation of materials and construction methodologies
• Sourcing already available run-of-mine waste/pre-strip materials and developing efficient designs that achieve project savings
• Minimising the importation of unnecessary materials
• Undertaking site inspections and interpreting/analysing results into report findings and recommendations
• End-to-end project management (including construction sequencing and oversight)
• Construction QA/QC
• RPEQ oversight and approval
• Assurance of design and construction certification (in line with government regulation).

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Operational Support Geotechnical Engineering

CM&G can provide clients with short and long-term geotechnical operational support through site deployment or remote advisory. Working with your team, CM&G will offer flexible options that assess available data and resources and design modelling and procedural frameworks that minimise risk, enhance safety and drive cost-savings back to your business.

Our technical services include:

• Designing and reviewing QA/QC face mapping and core logging procedures that capture structural data
• Collection, analysis, integration and reporting of data in meeting design standards
• Validating and interpreting geological, geotechnical, structural and hydrogeological data
• Structural and geotechnical scoping, modelling and procedural design
• Determining protocols that build, improve and maintain existing structural models
• Analysing mining-induced stresses and deformations
• Delivering geotechnical discipline, competency and performance leadership modules
• Monitoring geotechnical systems performance
• Reviewing and analysing mine development plans, slopes, and drilling designs
• Ground stability analysis and design of stable excavations in rock
• Rock mass and surface characterisation (scanning and mapping)
• Geotechnical design and inspections
• Geotechnical-based selection and design of mining methods (Sublevel Stoping, Sublevel Caving, Cut and Fill, Drift and Fill, Tabular Narrow Stoping, Block Caving, etc.)
• Stability analysis of open pit slopes and underground excavations
• Ground monitoring systems design and response analysis
• Ground support management (design and planning)
• RPEQ oversight, assessment and approval
• Regional stability design and analysis (pillar design)
• QA/QC and paste fill design
• 2D and 3D numerical modelling and analysis.

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Geotechnical Risk Management

CM&G considers risk across the entirety of your mine asset’s lifecycle. Our subject matter experts will work with you in assessing all geotechnical hazards and risk management processes and protocols. The results and determinations from our comprehensive investigation and subsequent analysis will deliver assurance in the design, safety and integrity of your active mining assets and projects.

**Our capabilities include: **

• Identifying all geotechnical hazards and managing the related risks within mining operations
• Developing systems that assess, monitor and manage geotechnical risk
• Investigating and analysing rock fall events and ground control incidents
• Analysing rock-related risks and advising site teams of concerns and solutions
• Reviewing and communicating work practices that reduce risk of injury
• Promoting safety culture through awareness programs for rock-fall hazard identification and elimination
• Development and maintenance of risk registers
• Development and implementation of ground control management plans (in accordance with statutory guidelines and leading-edge practice)
• Developing site standards for ground control, mining methods, extraction sequencing, stress, seismicity, and re-entry
• Monitoring of rock mass response to mining including ground deformation, stress build up, and seismicity
• Assessing ground support and reinforcement systems performance
• Monitoring large ground deformations, subsidence and mining-induced surface expressions, and devising mitigation options
• Ensuring robust, fit-for-purpose engineering systems design and installation aligned with best practice.

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Mine Closure Geotechnics

The preparation of sustainable environmental practices in the event of your mine closure should be considered as critically as all operational elements during the ‘working’ life of the mine. CM&G experts can work with you in appraising all aspects of the mine closure in delivering long-term ground stability and ground-related hazard management solutions.

**Our capabilities include: **

• The characterisation of site materials and properties including above and below cover layers and structural layers
• Investigating and determining long-term geotechnical risks and design of mitigating solutions
• Stability appraisals of legacy waste disposal facilities including rock pile, storage receptacles, dumps, leeching pads and dams
• Providing risk-ranking advice regarding dam safety and recommendations
• Advising long-term approaches to monitoring legacy mine sites
• Advising geotechnical-dependent environmental impact assessments associated with closure.

Knowledge Advancement

CM&G is committed to continuous education and proudly offers a comprehensive cache of training modules, information resources and access to subject matters experts. Education resources address proactive and responsive industry needs and focus on the development of practical skills amongst geotechnical engineers and their affiliated mining networks. All training programs have been designed in consultation with industry experts in achieving practical outcomes for participants.

Our education and learning offer includes:

• In-house geotechnical hazards awareness training programs for technical and mining operators
• Specialist geotechnical design courses for site engineers
• Programs for developing structural modelling of discontinuous rock masses
• Guest lecturing and course development advice for universities and education bodies - CM&G provides in-kind support by delivering geomechanics course lectures at the University of Queensland and University of New South Wales
• Developing and implementing mentoring opportunities on geotechnical and rock engineering practices on mine sites
• Coaching, coordinating and reviewing activities undertaken by early-experienced engineers
• Programs for continuous learning towards developing geotechnical engineering subject matter experts.

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R&D and Innovation

CM&G can contribute to transforming your geotechnical engineering practices and technologies. Our team will identify your business technology improvement needs and work with you to propose, design, demonstrate, integrate and deploy innovative solutions for geotechnical engineering delivery that expands your current capability well into the future. All recommendations will be considerate of your existing systems of mining and operations with solutions being designed to seamlessly integrate to capitalise on your multi-scale development opportunities.

Our technical services include:

• Analysing and recommending new technologies that improve structural modelling processes
• Managing the end-to-end development and deployment of technology innovations for rock mass characterisation and rock mass response
• Strategising and managing interdisciplinary collaborations and stakeholder engagement in technology development, and through to deployment
• Collaborating with research, technology, and innovation stakeholders as part of technology development teams
• Identifying, planning and delivering continuous improvement projects
• Designing and delivering technical site instrumentation and the commissioning of data logging and telemetry systems
• Ongoing analysis and recommendations in the improvement of safety systems that balance cost performance
• Ongoing advice for the advancement of technical excellence in developing strategic mining designs and innovative technologies
• Continuously prospecting divergent approaches to optimising mining operation
• Advising on technology transformation strategies and frameworks for the development and delivery of integrated geo-scientific data acquisition and processing solutions interfacing with geotechnical-based mine designs.

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