Managing Mine Dams
Legislative requirements in Australia at national, state, and local government levels mandate applying a risk-based approach for managing mine dams.
These regulations aim to
- ensure the safe, stable, non-polluting, and economical storage of tailings
- pose minimal public health and safety risks
- have acceptably low social and environmental impacts during operation and after mine closure.
Furthermore, the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) requires comprehensive risk assessment practices across all phases of a dam’s lifecycle.
Over the past few years, we have provided governance and risk assessment services to a diverse range of clients, including AGL Anglo American, Glencore, BHP, Bloomfield, Yancoal, MMG, Mangoola, Moolarben Coal, Perilya Broken Hill, TATA Consulting Engineers, Wambo Coal and Granites, among others.
Declared Dams in NSW
A significant portion of our projects are geographically concentrated in New South Wales, primarily driven by the regulatory requirements set forth by Dams Safety NSW.
Dams Safety NSW (DSNSW) is the regulator responsible for the safety of Declared Dams in NSW. They administer the Dams Safety Regulation 2019 (the Regulation) under the Dams Safety Act 2015 (the Act).
DSNSW has adopted a risk-based approach that requires dam owners to manage all foreseeable risks concerning the failure of the dam, which addresses all aspects of the dam’s life cycle, including the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning.
Five-Yearly Risk Assessments
DSNSW requires Declared Dam owners to conduct a risk assessment on a five-yearly basis, based on a societal and individual risk rating.
The risk management framework must identify risk reduction or treatment measures to eliminate or reduce risks, but only “So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable” (SFAIRP).
ATC Williams has developed a structured and systematic approach for delivering risk reports, as illustrated below.
Assessing Societal Risk and Key Outcomes
The primary outcome of a quantitative risk assessment is a detailed evaluation of the contribution of each failure mode to the annual probabilities and associated risks. Additionally, this assessment positions the facility’s overall risk on the societal risk threshold, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of its risk profile. The diagram below presents examples of key risk assessment outcomes, informing the decision-making regarding the safety status of a facility.
Read more about our Governance and Risk Assessment In Action.
Please contact us to discuss your next project.
