Modern Mining July 2023

“The Standard strives to achieve the ultimate goal of zero harm to people and the environment with zero tolerance for human fatality. It requires opera tors 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 and the establishment of an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan.” According to Liefferink, although compliance with the GISTM is mandatory only for the current 30 members of the ICMM, financial institutions and insurers are likely to look increasingly tat the stan dard of management of tailings storage facilities when assessing dealings with mining houses; which makes it all the more imperative that mining houses adhere to the standards set by the GISTM. “The FSE has knowledge of Sibanye-Stillwater and Gold Fields, as members of the ICMM, ascrib ing to the GISTM not only within the Witwatersrand gold fields but worldwide while other mining compa nies, such as DRD GOLD, Pan African Resources (a mid-tier gold mining company) and Harmony Gold, are all working towards the implementation of some of the principles of the GISTM. Other companies, include African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American, Anglo Gold Ashanti, BHP, Glencore, Rio Tinto and South 32.” Sibanye-Stillwater rolls-out its TSF strategy Multinational mining and metals processing group, Sibanye-Stillwater, has been proactive in align ing with the standards set out by the ICMM and recently co-opted the services of the FSE to deliver presentations on tailings and the management of tailings storage facilities – as an independent and unrestricted party – to Sibanye-Stillwater’s host com munities. The FSE’s mandate relates to:  Inform interested and affected parties of the hazards, risks and impacts of tailings and tailings storage facilities.  How to minimise the risks to communities from tailings and tailings storage facilities.  Prepare the host communities in the event of the failure of a tailings storage facility.

 Involve interested and affected parties in deci sions regarding closure and closure objectives, post-closure and future land use. Sibanye-Stillwater, the world’s largest primary pro ducer of platinum, second largest primary producer of palladium and third largest producer of gold, has already developed an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan and Trigger Action Response Plans (TARPs), which are tools used to identify and man age risk. TARPs describe pre-defined trigger alert levels (green, yellow, orange, and red) that are based on risk controls and critical controls of the TSF. Liefferink explains that Sibanye-Stillwater has installed warning sirens in strategic places within the communities where it can be audible to all affected community members, should an emergency arise and evacuation is required, and has prepared a safety card (what to do and what not to do in the case of an emergency). “Sibanye-Stillwater has also entered a MOU with the Gift of the Givers Foundation to provide humani tarian aid in case of a TSF failure. This information is currently presented to Sibanye-Stillwater’s host com munities as well as the findings of the dam breach assessments.” According to Liefferink, some of the leading local mining companies in South Africa continue to work proactively towards meeting the targets set out by the GISTM, with initiatives by companies, such as Sibanye-Stillwater, being a case in point. 

TSFs on the East Rand with dwellings established on site.

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July 2023  MODERN MINING  31