OceanaGold Waihi North Project Vibration Performance Assessment Page 7 of 41 Project Number: HP2006-2 Heilig & Partners Save Date: 21/06/2022 5:55:00 PM ABN 56 082 976 714 File Name: WAI-985-000-REP-LC-0018_Rev 0 Early research on people’s sensitivity to vibration concentrated on the response to continuous vibration, such as that produced by traffic, rail movements or mechanically induced vibration like that generated by construction works with hydraulic hammers, pile driving, vibratory rollers and so on. A study by Wiss1 addressed people’s perception to both transient and steady state vibration activities. The study concluded that for continuous vibration, levels up to 1mm/s were considered “slightly perceptible”, and beyond 5mm/s, the levels were “disturbing”. Whilst vibration from blasting is short duration, typically less than 10 seconds and would generally be classed as transient, its perceptibility better relates to that identified in the Wiss description as “steady state” rather than “transient”. This is possibly best related to the blast duration extending more than a few seconds. Wiss’s chart is shown. Figure 6 - Human response to vibration from transient and steady state vibration events (Wiss, 1981) For people using walking tracks or partaking in other outdoor activities, whilst they may experience similar effects to persons indoors, they would occur at much higher levels of vibration. The same equivalent perceived effect from a blast for somebody outdoors might occur at a doubling of the vibration value than a person inside a building might note, that is, a level around 2mm/s might be “slightly perceptible” and around 10mm/s, the vibration might be “strongly perceptible”. 4. IMPACT ON NATIVE FROGS WUG is unique when compared to other mining assessments that have been undertaken for the Waihi region. Whilst potentially affected residents are located several kilometres from planned blasting, and the implications on the scale of blasting or potential impacts on amenity can be largely ignored, the environment around the mine is home to the Archey’s frog species and subsequently requires special consideration to ensure impacts are managed to acceptable levels. Information on how vibration affects frogs in general is minimal and possibly non-existent with specific respect to the Archey’s frog. A review of the available technical papers that relate to seismic signalling in animals provides some background information and this has been considered by a specific team grouped to assess and control impacts. In completing this assessment, interaction between the ecologists and Heilig & Partners has progressed to allow the project to best assess vibration and how it may impact on Archeys frog. 5. REQUIREMENT FOR VIBRATION LIMITS Unlike previous projects at Waihi, WNP is relatively free of people that could be affected by elevated vibration from blasting activities. The GOP is located to the east of the Waihi township with the nearest 1 Wiss.J.F.,(1981), “Construction Vibrations: State of the art”, Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Journal of the Geotechnical Division, Volume 107.
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