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Abstract

The ever increasing costs and risks associated with tailings facilities worldwide have led to the adoption of a Duty of Care in ensuring high standards of tailings operation. The Oil Sands industry stands to benefit from lessons learned elsewhere in the world in regard to the application of a Duty of Care to tailings operations. Palmiter (2006)1 suggests that in business, "the duty of care addresses the attentiveness and prudence of managers in performing their decision-making and supervisory functions." Aspects addressed by the authors based on their international and local tailings experience include definition of the Duty of Care; select examples of tailings dam failures for lessons learned; tailings management imperatives of risk, quality and cost; reducing operational costs; universal indicators of quality tailings operations; a checklist of key operational components, and implementation and the human dynamic. [All papers were considered for technical and language appropriateness by the organizing committee.]