assurance Featured Items
Publication Event

Improving board assurance of technical and operational risks in mining, MGR 2019: Proceedings of the First International Conference on Mining Geomechanical Risk, MGR 2019

There are gaps in board assurance on technical and operational risk in mining. There are gaps in current environmental social governance (ESG) and enterprise risk management, especially for geotechnical risk. Chief risk officers (CROs) and audit teams who report to the board’s audit and risk committee are often staffed by accountants and lawyers who provide an essential service, but may not appreciate the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) aspects of mining, including its technical complexity, variability and uncertainty. This demography tends to focus on commercial, financial and legal risk. Their skill sets mean they may have a blind spot on how STEM mining risks have an impact, including on company performance and innovation (opportunity risks). Additionally, with the digital transformation of mining underway, there is a risk the disrupting ‘digital natives’ (i.e. deep domain experts on digital technology) also lack an understanding of the technical and operational risks of mining and may inadvertently create new risks. Understanding risk in mining requires technical and operational expertise in mining engineering, life-of-mine planning, geotechnical engineering, geology and metallurgy. These professionals need to work alongside traditional risk practitioners and auditors to develop new ways to provide transparency, accountability and assurance to mining company boards.

board assurance audit technical risk operational risk Global Reporting Initiative
Publication Event

Risk-based access control at Mount Isa Copper Operations, MGR 2019: Proceedings of the First International Conference on Mining Geomechanical Risk, MGR 2019

Mount Isa Copper Operations (MICO) is one of the oldest and deepest mines in Australia, comprising the largest underground network of mine development in the world. During the early operational years, ground support, particularly surface support, was not routinely installed. Although rehabilitation in recent years has drastically reduced the amount of tunnel without support, there remain tens of kilometres of excavation with limited to no ground support installed. In addition, older development was often mined within close proximity to unfilled or partially filled stopes and vertical openings. The voids pre-date modern 3D mine plans and scanning technology. Furthermore, access to the voids to conduct scans is limited, this results in an imperfect understanding of the void sizes and proximity to accessible drives. The lack of ground support and knowledge of void status poses significant ground failure risks at MICO. A significant increase in rock related near-hit incidents occurred during the second half of 2014 and the first half of 2015. A number of these incidents had the potential to cause severe or fatal harm. The incidents triggered internal investigations that aimed at understanding and reducing the ground failure risk. The outcome of the investigations was the creation of a series of interlinked systems, namely the tunnel condition risk assessment (TCRA), mine closure areas (MCA), ground awareness training (GAT), vertical opening pillar hazard assessment and control (VOPHAC), stope void review (SVR), manual scaling crews, fall of ground database and the quality assurance/quality control management plan (QA/QC MP). The individual components of the system are specialised and simple. However, the system is comprehensive and robust. Each of the components, as well as how they interlink, is discussed within this paper. The interlinked systems and practices provide controls and have proven to be effective at reducing the ground failure risks. Although the systems were developed at MICO, they have the potential to be easily adapted and utilised at other mine sites.

Mount Isa rock mechanics risk hazard ground failure ground control tunnel condition risk assessment mine closure areas quality assurancequality control
Publication

Tailings Governance Framework: Position Statement

December 2016 "Tailings Governance Framework: Position Statement" 7 page document. General guidance, endeavouring to enhance the focus on six key elements of management and governance deemed necessary to maintain TSF integrity and minimise the risk of catastrophic failures. The governance framework elements include: (1) Accountability, Responsibility and Competency; (2) Planning and Resourcing; (3) Risk Management; (4) Change Management; (5) Emergency Preparedness and Response; (6) Review and Assurance. As part of TSF governance, there is a clear expectation all ICMM company members implement the ICMM Mining Principles, which seek to maximise host community benefits and minimise negative societal impacts. Recognises TSF's undergo changes over their life cycle, which must be considered and managed. Key or material points within the six framework elements include accountability for governance resides with owners and operators. Risk controls and verifications are to be based on failure modes and consequences. Risks associated with potential changes are assessed, controlled and communicated to avoid compromising TSF integrity. Emergency preparedness and response plans must be commensurate with potential failure mechanisms. Internal and external review and assurance processes must be in place.

governance change management emergency preparedness Emergency Response assurance Risk Design
Publication

Tailings Management: Good Practice Guide

This guidance is intended to support safe, responsible management of tailings across the global mining industry, with the ultimate goal of eliminating fatalities and catastrophic events. It provides guidance on good governance and engineering practices that will support continual improvement in the management of tailings facilities and help foster and strengthen a corporate safety culture, with focus in the six key areas outlined in the 2016 Tailings Governance Framework: 1) Accountability, Responsibility, and Competency; 2) Planning and Resourcing; 3) Risk Management; 4) Change Management; 5) Emergency Preparedness and Response; and 6) Review and Assurance

Tailings Dam Safety good practice guidance governance change management emergency preparedness Emergency Response assurance Risk Design