Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management
International Council on Mining and Metals, 2020
The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (herein ‘the Standard’) strives to achieve the ultimate goal of zero harm to people and the environment with zero tolerance for human fatality. It requires Operators to take responsibility and prioritise the safety of tailings facilities, through all phases of a facility’s lifecycle, including closure and post-closure. It also requires the disclosure of relevant information to support public accountability.
Issues have arisen in the development of the Standard that are difficult to translate into an auditable industry Standard for Operators. These issues are more appropriately addressed through national and/or state level regulatory authorities, or through multilateral agencies working with the industry. For example, it is recognised that more work needs to be done by national and/or state level regulators to develop mechanisms that enable the identification, maintenance and/or restoration of abandoned or ‘orphaned’ facilities.
The Standard provides a framework for safe tailings facility management while affording Operators flexibility as to how best to achieve this goal. For auditing and certification purposes, the Standard includes the Preamble, the Requirements, the Glossary and Annexes. Unless otherwise specifi ed, the Requirements of the Standard are directed to the Operator. The Requirements apply to individual facilities as defi ned in the Glossary, and are all intended to apply and be auditable.
Revision ID: 5869
Revision Date: 12/16/2022