Safety First - Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management V2.0

Communities must have access to independent technical experts of their choosing to assist them in evaluating the potential for and consequences of a catastrophic tailings failure at the time the facility is proposed and throughout the life of the facility. [...] The board of directors must bear the primary responsibility for the safety of tailings facilities, including the consequences of dam failures, and demonstrate that the company has the necessary financial assurance to cover the implementation of closure and post-closure plans, and adequate public liability insurance to cover the full costs of all failures, including catastrophic failures. [...] The time frame is dependent on the decision-making processes of the affected stakeholders, but consultation must be “sought sufficiently in advance of any authorization or commencement of activities, at the early stages of a development or investment plan, and not only when the need arises to obtain approval from the community.”39 The study must evaluate the impacts of all proposed facility design. [...] The geochemical characteristics of the supernatant and pore water of a tailings facility, as well as the tailings themselves can affect the consequences of a dam failure and control the extent and recoverability of ecosystems. [...] The report and recommendations of the ITRB, the response of the operating company, and the subsequent response of the ITRB must be provided to the local regulatory agency and any communities affected by the tailings facility.