Water and mud stand in a valley after a Vale SA dam burst in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.
Following the recent deadly tailings dam disaster in Brazil, global mining companies have committed to develop an international standard for tailings facilities.
The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), which represents 27 of the world’s largest mining and metals companies, on Tuesday announced that its member CEOs would establish an independent panel of experts to develop the international standard.
The standard would be informed by a review that would be carried out by experts from diverse disciplines, led by an independent chairperson. It should be completed by the end of 2019.
“ICMM CEOs have committed to creating a step change for the industry in the safety of tailings facilities by developing a recognised international standard for member companies. The standard will be based on best practices to ensure that tailings facility risks are managed appropriately, consistently, and transparently,” said ICMM CEO Tom Butler.
While the ICMM would encourage other companies to adopt the standard, it would be binding for member companies, which includes Brazilian major Vale that controlled the Brumadinho dam, which failed on January 25, killing 300 people.
ICMM-member company BHP, a joint venture partner in Samarco, which suffered a tailings dam failure in 2015, recently indicated that it will back an independent body to oversee the integrity and construction of tailings dams, while Rio Tinto, which is also part of the global mining body, has launched a review of the 2015 standard for management of its tailings and water storage facilities to ensure that they are operated in accordance with the standard and that risks are managed.
Freeport-McMoRan has also indicated that it is spending money on ensuring that it mitigates any danger from its tailings dam.
Other ICMM member companies include African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, Antofogasta Minerals, Barrick, Codelco, Glencore, Gold Fields, Goldcorp, Hydro, JX Nippon, Lonmin, Minera San Cristobal, Minsur, Mitsubishi Minerals, MMG, Newcrest, Newmont, Orano, Polyus, South 32, Sumitomo Metal Mining and Teck Resources.