The following is a discussion of a new approach to safety when developing or applying a new mining technology. In the form of an engineering process, the following approach had its inception in the military and aviation industries and is also very strongly evident in the chemical industry.
The process has been developed and applied in the mining industry by the author. It is called 'Incremental Development and Management of New Technology'.
The process is a composite of carefully selected System Safety Management, System Engineering and Financial techniques and methods. It consists of modules which can be modified to suit the requirements of a specific project. Modules provide an organised framework of activities to facilitate a gradual acquisition of pertinent knowledge and information and to enable progressive evaluation or verification of produced outcomes against specified requirements.