With the release of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) in August last year, the foundation of this field has shifted, and the stakes have been raised, argues engineering consultancy SRK Consulting.
The company adds that this standard sets a new bar for corporate responsibility and opens the door for significant improvement in performance. Among the standard’s demands is that mines engage with multiple spheres of influence when designing and managing tailings storage facilities (TSFs).
The standard also demands a more systematic integration of environmental monitoring.
This means that technical reporting on TSFs must now include an environmental component, to improve the way that storage risks are managed. While the stability and integrity of the structure are key to TSF safety concerns, risks like seepage and contamination plumes are also highly relevant to both safety and environmental sustainability.
Further, while environmental reporting in TSF quarterly reports is improving, the GISTM demands that action plans be developed, and that these are proactively implemented in an integrated way.
The GISTM calls for environmental – as well as social and local economic – impacts to be assessed on an ongoing basis, so that any material changes can be addressed using best practices in adaptive management.
Read the full article in Engineering News
