Alternatives to Drill & Blast Mining?

An army of coolies with shovels might work.

Hydraulic boring machines.

Strip mining is the only alternative I know of.

Closely related to "personnel safety" would be a complete study of the stratigraphy. Or, you could beat the miners with a stick.

Go here: Continuous Miners in Rock Salt Mining

Or ask the people doing it.

The internet is a wonderful thing. Use it to gather information.

Mining Associations and Organizations

National Mining Organizations, Associations and ... - MSHA

Mining Associations - Mining USA

Why post twice on basically the same subject?

That seems redundant ...again.

How about a used TBM? Mexico has one available I hear.

I recently visited Saltville, Va. where they mined salt. I heard they pumped water down, brine up, and removed the salt from the brine. No mines, just wells. Sounds quite safe. The salt can be recovered in evaporation ponds, I don't know how they did it in Saltville.

Have you seen the video of the salt mine that was accidentally drilled into? The drilling was into a lake, and went into the salt mine below. Huge water cyclone, swallowed up a bunch of barges and boats as the water washed away the salt, and made the hole bigger and bigger till it filled the salt mine.

Yeah, I saw that, think it was in Louisiana maybe. The hole was sucking down trees like nobody's business. Everything went down until the mine was filled.

As the saying goes; "Did I do that?"