OREANDA-NEWS. ALROSA President Sergey Ivanov signed an order to assess safety of mining operations at all the Company’s underground mines until September 1, 2017. A special purpose expert group is to assess the potential impact of water bodies on mine workings and measures taken to prevent water breakthrough from depleted open pit mines.

Independent experts, ALROSA Chief Engineer, Chief Geotechnician, Chief Hydrogeologist, Head of Underground Mining Department, Deputy Chief Surveyor, Chief Engineer of Yakutniproalmaz Institute are members of the expert group.

The order stipulates that until September 1, the expert group will assess compliance of mining operations with the design decisions with regard to honoring the boundaries of a hazardous mining zone near a water body; state of the safety pillar; work of the main dewatering complex; state of mine workings located near the safety pillar, and presence of uncontrolled water seepage.

"The Rostechnadzor Commission must prepare final and comprehensive analysis of the causes of the accident at Mir underground mine. Nevertheless, we are planning to perform our own assessment of the situation at all other underground mines of the Company without waiting for the conclusions of the Commission, and in case any problems are revealed, we are ready to take prompt measures to solve them," noted Sergei Ivanov.

He also recalled that the Company has been carrying out a comprehensive audit of industrial safety systems since May. A relevant resolution was made in May 2017 by ALROSA Supervisory Board.

Apart from Mir, ALROSA is developing Internatsionalny, Aikhal, and Udachny underground mines.