Tailings Management Handbook: A LifeCycle Approach

As long as we have mining and mineral processing, tailings and the responsible management thereof will remain at the forefront, with a company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in part a reflection of how well tailings risks are being managed.

The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) was published in August 2020, aiming to prevent catastrophic failure of tailings facilities by providing operators with specified measures and approaches throughout the mine life cycle, taking into account multiple stakeholder perspectives. In 2021, the International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM) published the Tailings Management: Good Practice Guide intended to support safe, responsible management of tailings across the global mining industry, providing guidance on good governance and engineering practices to support continual improvement in tailings storage facility (TSF) management and help foster and strengthen the safety culture of mining companies.

The Tailings Management Handbook is important and timely because there is no other comprehensive resource rooted in these new fundamentals and global principles for tailings management. Tailings management requires interdisciplinary and cross-functional understanding and support, which is apparent throughout this handbook.

Dive into the wealth of information contributed by more than 100 world-renowned experts, beautifully crafted into a full-color handbook that focuses on the basics, life-cycle planning, site and tailings characterization, TSF design and construction, as well as systems and operations of TSFs. The inclusion of 42 case studies is an added plus with real-world successes and lessons learned.