Analysis and risk assessment of the supply of copper ore in the belt conveyor system in an underground mine

policies related to analysis, assessment, and action leading to a
reduction in the amount of risk-related losses, is increasingly used
in manufacturing companies. We are looking for opportunities in
order to improve efficiency and an opportunity of gaining a
competitive advantage in reducing the risk level of having a
negative impact on the economic results of enterprises. The article
presents the concept of reliable analysis and risk assessment for the
horizontal transport system of copper ore. The risk has been defined
as the probability of not achieving the objective set for the transport
system, i.e., not delivering the planned amount of copper ore in a
given time to the mining shaft. Unplanned downtime and belt
conveyor failures have been assumed as risk factors. The proposed
method consists of three stages. The FMEA (Failure Mode and
Effects Analysis) method was used in the first stage, which allowed
for the designation of structural elements of the belt conveyor,
which are most often damaged. The FMEA method uses operational
data collected over a period of three years as well as the expert
knowledge of maintenance staff. In the second stage, the transport
system was divided into components (transport lines) for which the
risk of failure was determined, allowing the identification of
transport lines most exposed to the risk of failure. The third and
final stage of the method consisted of determining the reliability
structure of the entire transport system by belt conveyors, taking
into account the functions of individual elements (transport lines) in
the system. The total risk calculated for the reliability structure
determined in this way is the probability of not achieving the
objective set for the transport system.