The launch of the Global Industry Standard for Tailings Management, GISTM, in 2020 has undoubtedly helped to gain a better understanding on how to develop safe and responsible management of tailings storage facilities (TSF) by incorporating social and environmental aspects into tailings management systems. The Standard has led mining stakeholders to rethink how TSF are being designed, built, operated, monitored, and closed nowadays; and even more important, how they are managed, reviewed, maintained, and governed.
This paper aims to show Ausenco’s experience in implementing GISTM and assessing its conformance in different mining companies, focusing on the key concepts and approaches taken to address the 6 Topics, 15 Principles, and 77 Requirements covered by the Standard. This covers guidelines for initiating implementation of the Standard considering the context in which the TSF is situated, how the mining company should be involved, the importance of understanding the credibility of failure scenarios and associated risks, and finally, what happens after implementation.
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