The role of reliable mining and construction analysis in adjudicating mining damage claims

Abstract

The basis for recognising claims for mining damage to a structure should be a mining and construction analysis, carried out following a detailed visual inspection of the damage and the results of surface deformation measurements. It allows to establish a cause and effect relation between the activity of the mining company and the damage. Unfortunately, there are cases when such an analysis is omitted and the following scheme is used: "since there is damage and the object is located in a mining area, it is mining damage". The problem is illustrated by two court cases where the author acted as an expert witness. Both cases are examples of the so-called pseudo-mining damage and confirm the thesis that the mere image of damage without professional analysis of construction and mining factors may lead to wrong conclusions regarding the causes of the damage.