Preface
Recent dam failures have demonstrated the need for improvements in the design,
management and regulation of tailings management facilities to reduce, and
eventually eliminate, the risks of failure of existing and future facilities. The scope
of the challenge is well documented in UNEP GRID-Arendal assessment report
entitled “Mine Tailings Storage: Safety Is No Accident,” which recommends that
“Regulators, industry and communities should adopt a shared zero-failure objective
to tailings storage facilities…” and identifies many areas where further improvements are required to meet this objective. In keeping with this objective, we believe
that the application of cutting-edge risk assessment methodologies and risk management practices can contribute to the significant reduction and eventual elimination of dam failures through risk-based decision making and risk-informed
decision making (respectively RBDM and RIDM).
Thus, the primary purpose of this book is to identify and describe those risk
assessment approaches and risk management practices that must be implemented in
order to develop a path forward to reach corporately, societally and ethically
acceptable tailings dam risks. In support of this, we will describe appropriate, existing
and proven risk management approaches. It will be shown that these can actually lead
to the highest standards of tailings dam design and management required to reach
UNEP goals and a sustainable and societally acceptable mining industry.
This book is based on over 30 years of worldwide consulting experience,
relentless methodological research and development, prior books, courses, seminars
delivered to corporate key stakeholders, public and governmental agencies, public
hearings, expert witnessing in civil and criminal courts, and over 50 technical
papers. Its purpose is to identify and describe those risk assessment approaches and
risk management practices that must be implemented in order to develop a path
forward to reach profitable and sustainable operations that will be corporately and
societally acceptable from a risk standpoint. This will simultaneously cover the
interests of lenders, investors and insurers as well.
This book is not a dam design book or manual; it is not a statistics and probabilities textbook; it does not aim at replacing MAC OMS manual; and finally, it is not
a geotechnical engineering book/manual. Whenever details are needed, we provide
v
Recent dam failures have demonstrated the need for improvements in the design,
management and regulation of tailings management facilities to reduce, and
eventually eliminate, the risks of failure of existing and future facilities. The scope
of the challenge is well documented in UNEP GRID-Arendal assessment report
entitled “Mine Tailings Storage: Safety Is No Accident,” which recommends that
“Regulators, industry and communities should adopt a shared zero-failure objective
to tailings storage facilities…” and identifies many areas where further improvements are required to meet this objective. In keeping with this objective, we believe
that the application of cutting-edge risk assessment methodologies and risk management practices can contribute to the significant reduction and eventual elimination of dam failures through risk-based decision making and risk-informed
decision making (respectively RBDM and RIDM).
Thus, the primary purpose of this book is to identify and describe those risk
assessment approaches and risk management practices that must be implemented in
order to develop a path forward to reach corporately, societally and ethically
acceptable tailings dam risks. In support of this, we will describe appropriate, existing
and proven risk management approaches. It will be shown that these can actually lead
to the highest standards of tailings dam design and management required to reach
UNEP goals and a sustainable and societally acceptable mining industry.
This book is based on over 30 years of worldwide consulting experience,
relentless methodological research and development, prior books, courses, seminars
delivered to corporate key stakeholders, public and governmental agencies, public
hearings, expert witnessing in civil and criminal courts, and over 50 technical
papers. Its purpose is to identify and describe those risk assessment approaches and
risk management practices that must be implemented in order to develop a path
forward to reach profitable and sustainable operations that will be corporately and
societally acceptable from a risk standpoint. This will simultaneously cover the
interests of lenders, investors and insurers as well.
This book is not a dam design book or manual; it is not a statistics and probabilities textbook; it does not aim at replacing MAC OMS manual; and finally, it is not
a geotechnical engineering book/manual. Whenever details are needed, we provide
v