2
should be noted however, that the 2018 IRMA require-
ments for waste and materials management are closely
aligned with those of TSM, although they are also intended
to be applied to other types of facilities such as waste rock
and heap leach facilities.
CHALLENGES OF TAILINGS
MANAGEMENT
Doing better and getting it right with respect to tailings
management is not an easy task. To the untrained eye, a
tailings facility may just look like a pile of mud, but tail-
ings facilities are complex, dynamic engineered structures
that are in an ongoing state of change throughout their
service life, which may extend from decades to centuries.
This makes tailings management particularly challenging,
both from governance* and technical perspectives. This
was underscored by the Mount Polley Independent Expert
Engineering Investigation and Review Panel (2015) which
stated that: “Tailings dams are complex systems that have
evolved over the years. They are also unforgiving systems, in
terms of the number of things that have to go right. Their
reliability is contingent on consistently flawless execution
in planning, in subsurface investigation, in analysis, in con-
struction quality in operational diligence, in monitoring,
in regulatory action, and in risk management at every level.
All of these activities are subject to human error.”
Change is one of the most unique and challenging
aspects of tailings management. Tailings facilities are in a
continual state of change from the day construction of a
new tailings facility begins until the closure plan has been
fully implemented, and beyond. This is unlike other engi-
neered structures, including water dams upon which many
concepts for tailings management are based, in which struc-
tures are built to their final configuration at the outset and
then maintained through their operational lives. In addi-
tion, through their long lives tailings facilities are subject
to a wide range of other changes, some within the owner’s
control, some not, including changes in: tailings manage-
ment technology and practices the design of the tailings
facility the closure plan the mine plan (including mine
life extensions) climatic and environmental conditions
commodity prices personnel responsible for tailings man-
agement ownership of the tailings facility legal require-
ments and standards and expectations of society, investors,
insurance providers, etc. Changes can increase risk, and it is
essential that changes be effectively managed.
*Governance refers to the organizational structures and pro-
cesses that a company puts in place to ensure the effective man-
agement, oversight and accountability for tailings (International
Council on Mining and Metals).
There are also many factors that influence tailings
management and the ability to manage tailings responsibly.
As with change, the owner has some control over some of
these factors but many are outside the owner’s control, and
some may be unknown/unrecognized by the owner. This is
illustrated in Figure 1. This makes it clear that responsible
tailings management is far more than just an engineering
exercise, as important as it is to get the engineering right.
The Human Element in Tailings Management
It is important to understand why failures of tailings facili-
ties occur. After failures, investigations are conducted of
geotechnical and other factors to understand the underly-
ing conditions and mechanism(s) that led to the failure.
However, these investigations rarely delve into the human
element of tailings management, including the many deci-
sions over the life of the tailings facility that contributed to
establishing the conditions for failure, and why those deci-
sions were made. To understand failures and to learn from
them to improve tailings management we need to under-
stand both the technical and human elements that can lead
to failure … or success.†
The human element in tailings management encom-
passes a wide range of considerations that can influence
outcomes related to tailings management and that may
impact decision-making of individuals and organizations as
a whole, including:
• Completeness and accuracy of information used to
inform decision-making.
• Adequacy of resources, including financial, but also
time, personnel, equipment, and material.
• Competencies of personnel involved in tailings
management.
• Uncertainty/unknowns that may impact decision-
making, and whether these are recognized, acknowl-
edged, and addressed.
• Management of conflicting priorities and short-term
thinking, and whether long-term objectives for tail-
ings management are compromised.
• Degree of collaboration and coordination between
different groups with roles and responsibilities
related to tailings management.
• Effectiveness of:
– Communications across teams and different levels
within the organization, as well as externally.
† This section does not refer to but is informed by work on the
influences of the human element on safety in other sectors, such
as health care and aviation, including research by Prof. Sidney
Dekker with Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.
should be noted however, that the 2018 IRMA require-
ments for waste and materials management are closely
aligned with those of TSM, although they are also intended
to be applied to other types of facilities such as waste rock
and heap leach facilities.
CHALLENGES OF TAILINGS
MANAGEMENT
Doing better and getting it right with respect to tailings
management is not an easy task. To the untrained eye, a
tailings facility may just look like a pile of mud, but tail-
ings facilities are complex, dynamic engineered structures
that are in an ongoing state of change throughout their
service life, which may extend from decades to centuries.
This makes tailings management particularly challenging,
both from governance* and technical perspectives. This
was underscored by the Mount Polley Independent Expert
Engineering Investigation and Review Panel (2015) which
stated that: “Tailings dams are complex systems that have
evolved over the years. They are also unforgiving systems, in
terms of the number of things that have to go right. Their
reliability is contingent on consistently flawless execution
in planning, in subsurface investigation, in analysis, in con-
struction quality in operational diligence, in monitoring,
in regulatory action, and in risk management at every level.
All of these activities are subject to human error.”
Change is one of the most unique and challenging
aspects of tailings management. Tailings facilities are in a
continual state of change from the day construction of a
new tailings facility begins until the closure plan has been
fully implemented, and beyond. This is unlike other engi-
neered structures, including water dams upon which many
concepts for tailings management are based, in which struc-
tures are built to their final configuration at the outset and
then maintained through their operational lives. In addi-
tion, through their long lives tailings facilities are subject
to a wide range of other changes, some within the owner’s
control, some not, including changes in: tailings manage-
ment technology and practices the design of the tailings
facility the closure plan the mine plan (including mine
life extensions) climatic and environmental conditions
commodity prices personnel responsible for tailings man-
agement ownership of the tailings facility legal require-
ments and standards and expectations of society, investors,
insurance providers, etc. Changes can increase risk, and it is
essential that changes be effectively managed.
*Governance refers to the organizational structures and pro-
cesses that a company puts in place to ensure the effective man-
agement, oversight and accountability for tailings (International
Council on Mining and Metals).
There are also many factors that influence tailings
management and the ability to manage tailings responsibly.
As with change, the owner has some control over some of
these factors but many are outside the owner’s control, and
some may be unknown/unrecognized by the owner. This is
illustrated in Figure 1. This makes it clear that responsible
tailings management is far more than just an engineering
exercise, as important as it is to get the engineering right.
The Human Element in Tailings Management
It is important to understand why failures of tailings facili-
ties occur. After failures, investigations are conducted of
geotechnical and other factors to understand the underly-
ing conditions and mechanism(s) that led to the failure.
However, these investigations rarely delve into the human
element of tailings management, including the many deci-
sions over the life of the tailings facility that contributed to
establishing the conditions for failure, and why those deci-
sions were made. To understand failures and to learn from
them to improve tailings management we need to under-
stand both the technical and human elements that can lead
to failure … or success.†
The human element in tailings management encom-
passes a wide range of considerations that can influence
outcomes related to tailings management and that may
impact decision-making of individuals and organizations as
a whole, including:
• Completeness and accuracy of information used to
inform decision-making.
• Adequacy of resources, including financial, but also
time, personnel, equipment, and material.
• Competencies of personnel involved in tailings
management.
• Uncertainty/unknowns that may impact decision-
making, and whether these are recognized, acknowl-
edged, and addressed.
• Management of conflicting priorities and short-term
thinking, and whether long-term objectives for tail-
ings management are compromised.
• Degree of collaboration and coordination between
different groups with roles and responsibilities
related to tailings management.
• Effectiveness of:
– Communications across teams and different levels
within the organization, as well as externally.
† This section does not refer to but is informed by work on the
influences of the human element on safety in other sectors, such
as health care and aviation, including research by Prof. Sidney
Dekker with Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.