It is a pity that there have to be horrific tragedies before due attention is paid to dangerous practices. For example, Brazil had to be he location of a shocking mine tailings disaster before the mining industry went out of its way to enforce proper mine tailings principles.
When the tailings dam wall burst in Brazil, the recklessness of the planners was exposed but insufficiently punished, given the large number of people who perished in iron-ore slime. But the mining industry as a whole had a serious wake-up call and we now see meticulous attention being devoted to tailings storage facilities the world over, as well as to water-use reduction and water storage.
The International Council on Mining and Metals has done an excellent job of defining good practice that has been diligently followed. South Africa’s engineering organisations should take a cue from mining and also push for global bodies to highlight best practice. Modern communication technology allows for major good practice to be spread far and wide very effectively and at low cost. Good communication is everything.