Cause-and-effect Analysis of the Impact of Mining Activities on Buildings

The transformations and deformations accompanying mining exploitation adversely affect the surface and its development facilities, leading to damage to building structures and technical infrastructure. These inconveniences often become a source of social conflicts and tensions, especially in highly urbanized areas. Mining companies face the difficult task of carrying out their activities while simultaneously preventing and eliminating mining damages that occur during and after the exploitation of deposits. In this article, the authors have collected a number of factors characterizing mining activities to determine their nature and impact on buildings located in mining areas. These factors were subjected to DEMATEL analysis, which made it possible to examine the strength of their impact as well as their cause-and-effect relationships. The cause-and-effect analysis enabled the identification of the relationships between the mining factors affecting buildings and the determination of their nature. This analysis will facilitate the easier determination and subsequent planning for the reduction of adverse effects of mining activities in areas affected by mining exploitation.