The world-class iron ore mines at Mt Whaleback, Torn Price and
Paraburdoo located in the Hamersley Province of Western Australia must
mine the Mt McRae Shale to obtain high grade ore from the Dales Gorge
Member of the Brockman Iron Formation. The Mt McRae Shale contains
a black pyritic shale lithology that reacts with ammonium nitrate-based
explosives. This paper provides an overview of the problems associated
with mining this reactive rock type as well as the development of a
comprehensive procedure to safely and efficiently blast, excavate and
dispose of this material. The strategy used to develop the procedure
involved raising the awareness of relevant site personnel to the risks
associated in mining the Black Pyritic Mt McRae Shale, obtaining the
commitment of these personnel that a detailed procedure was required
and that any procedure developed must be followed, otherwise the
potential risks such as premature detonation were high. It was also
necessary that an on-going training program be implemented so that all
relevant new employees would be educated as to the reasons for adhering
to the Black Pyritic Shale Procedure.