SRK’s integrated teams put heads together over tailings

Part of the complexity of designing and operating tailings facilities is the wide variety of material that the industry encounters in tailings. Being man-made rather than natural, its characteristics and behaviour can differ considerably from site to site.

Some of the world’s leading mine tailings experts gathered in South Africa recently in an SRK Consulting workshop to further raise the bar in best industry practice. The Global Industry Standards on Tailings Management (GISTM) framework provided a key backdrop for the workshop. Industry is committed to meet the new GISTM requirements, which include taking an integrated approach to tailings dam management.

Responsible tailings management is really all about people – particularly the protection of vulnerable communities. The GISTM emphasises the integration of disciplines, and the SRK workshop represented a wide range of expertise.

Over 60 SRK experts attended the meeting, which was held over two days. These included specialised tailings, water and civil engineers, as well as practitioners in fields such as water, geochemistry and environmental and social impact assessment. Bruce Engelsman, principal engineer at SRK Consulting emphasised the highly technical nature of tailings management, requiring that many issues of scientific principle and measurement be robustly debated on an ongoing basis.

Within the guidance provided by the GISTM, there are still many questions to be answered and challenging areas to explore. These relate to diverse fields from soil mechanics and water management to ESG and legal liability.

Engelsman said there was a relatively small pool of available expertise in tailings management, as it was a niche field. “With the growing focus on the safety and sustainability of tailings dams, the skills base is currently being stretched to its limits. It takes decades to build adequate levels of experience among practitioners, so there is no quick fix to the skills shortage,” he notes.

The mining sector is in a hurry as it works towards GISTM compliance, placing immense pressure on the capacity of consulting firms who deal with tailings. Developed by the Principle for Responsible Investment, the International Council on Mining and Metals , and the United Nations Environment Programme, the ICMM has allowed for a three-year implementation period for the GISTM, deadline in August 2023 for extreme and very high consequence facilities, and an additional two years for other facilities, in August 2025.

In addition, all tailings storage facilities that are not in a state of safe closure will be conformance with the GISTM by August 2025.

“As we raise the bar in line with GISTM, this workshop was an important opportunity for experts to share their innovations and insights – thereby continuously improving knowledge, understanding and practice.”

The workshop was deliberately structured to facilitate learning, and key take-away messages were carefully documented. SRK ‘champions’ in their fields would introduce certain topics, guiding break-away groups who could interrogate these in more detail.

These in-depth discussions ensure that SRK continually aligns the quality of its service offerings throughout the group, while pursuing innovation across the board. The active inclusion of younger engineers and scientists in these meetings also builds SRK’s talent pipeline, which is increasingly vital in tailings management.r more information contact: bengelsman@srk.co.za