Abstract
Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is the extraction of ore with minimal to no mechanization by individuals or group of people who do not have advanced technical knowledge. Though ASM has gained considerable acceptance, one reason for its unsustainable is because of slope collapses that occur affecting the health and safety of miners and surrounding community. In rock mechanics, slope stability analysis and design has received significant attention in large scale mining to mitigate the risk of slope collapse but minimal implementation in artisanal and small-scale mining. This paper reports back the implementation of slope analysis and design through field observations to demonstrate the process of estimating rock mass rating (RMR) and finding suitable slope angles using Bieniawski (1976) RMR and Heins and Terbrugge stability charts respectively. Further analysis through laboratory strength tests and using numerical modelling software to assess the slope stability of the current and proposed slope design was conducted. Results: The slope design used in the ASM operation is unsuitable and the slope analysis using estimation charts required further analysis. Rock strength results were then used in OPTUM G2 to attempt to imitate reality. Suggested mining methods were proposed and mapped in OPTUM G2 where the limit equilibrium analysis showed that the gravity multiplier had increased by 10.04 for the upper limit and 2.79 for the lower limit and the strength reduction factor increased by 1.5. Significance: It is essential to continuously refine critical issues and help establish desirable conditions for ASM operations because it has a high potential to contribute towards sustainable development. Implementing cost-effective slope stability analysis systems for sustainable mining and promote achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1,3,8 and 9. Conclusion: The estimation process can be used with the guidance of a rock engineering practitioner during the design process of the mine after exposing the rock mass during the exploration stage. However, there may be other factors that can hinder the collection of data and modelling during the design phase as slope stability analysis systems were designed for large-scale mines.