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Application and Learnings of GISTM Management Optimization Tools

Tailings and Mine Waste Conference (2023 : Vancouver, B.C.); University of British Columbia. Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

Mining companies worldwide are implementing approaches to achieve Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) conformance. While the need and benefit for GISTM is evident through the voluntary participation of many mining companies, the implementation, organization, and management of GISTM within an organizations’ existing framework and within a compressed schedule can be challenging. For example, consideration of whether a facility is active versus closed can alter the interpretation of the GISTM requirements, as well as the robustness of reporting on aspects like ongoing system performance monitoring. There are many principles and requirements within the GISTM that will benefit from management optimization to successfully implement the program. This paper will provide an implementation framework for four GISTM management optimization tools that have been developed and are currently being applied at closed mining facilities within North America: 1. tiered schedule development from generic GISTM requirements to site-specific technical action plans; 2. facilitation of the transfer of learnings (for example existing standards) and resources across organizational functions (cross-facility and cross-program); 3. communication strategies that can be applied between the different disciplines within a managed facility team (technical, community outreach, environmental investigation, etc.) as well as groups within the organization (corporate best practices; operating team; GISTM support team); and 4. GISTM conformance tracking which can provide those in senior leadership roles the ability to view status reports including percent conformance and schedule variance at a high level. These tools can be tailored to complement and exploit pre-defined internal technical and management guidance frameworks. This paper will demonstrate how these GISTM management optimization tools have been applied to various technical mining scenarios and highlight how the implementation framework has been integral for achieving GISTM progress within a constrained timeline. Further, the paper will highlight outcomes of implementation of the tools such as: the cost and schedule savings realized; potential management challenges within the GISTM context; and recommended solutions based on experience supporting Operators with this program. It will also discuss the intangible benefits that can be realized, such as improved collaboration, communication, and team morale between internal stakeholders.

Text

2024-02-15

Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87433

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/