Falls of ground
Northam Platinum – Eland

Falls of ground

Permanent Workface Area Mesh

The Permanent Workface Areal Mesh (PWAM) leading practice is an advanced safety measure for underground mining, developed to reduce the risk of falls of ground. It builds on the success of the netting with bolts practice.

Permanent workface areal mesh provides full areal coverage at the workface, installed as close to the face as possible and left in place for the life of the excavation. The mesh offers high load capacity, resists mechanical damage, and reduces the need for barring during entry. Its key benefits include improved FOG safety performance, reduced entry examination and making safe time, and stronger interaction with primary support systems.

Adoption follows a structured process involving environmental assessment, mesh requirement analysis, and specification to match operational needs.

Overall, permanent workface areal mesh represents a major step forward in mining safety and efficiency, with strong potential to mitigate fall of ground-related incidents.