English to Portuguese Tech/Engineering Mining & Minerals / Gems Mineração

Scaling, also known as barring down, is a basic skill that every person working underground
should understand and be able to demonstrate to a minimum level of competence. Scaling
may be described as the art and function of making the ground safe using a scaling
bar to locate and remove loose rock from the WALLS, FACE and BACKS of the workplace.

Natural planes of weakness, or joints, in the rock play a very important part in forming the
potentially unstable blocks, wedges and slabs that should be removed by scaling. Before
scaling it is vital that the ground be observed for an appropriate period of time to determine
the orientation, length, spacing and roughness of the exposed trace of the joints or cracks in
the BACKS, WALLS or FACE.