SAFETY, HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN - MIRMgate

In Portugal, Decree-Law 99/90 controls mining and restoration and operators must enter a contract
with the State and obtain a licence for ancillary operations. Spanish law requires mines above a given
size to lodge financial guarantee to cover site restoration. In Italy, regulations provide directions for the
design, operation and closure of a tailings facility greater than 10 m in height or for a tailings facility
which in opinion of the responsible office, presents a safety risk.
C. 13 RUSSIA
The engineering practice in Russia and other countries that used to form the Soviet Union is very
highly regulated. Even though engineering regulations in all these countries originate from the former
Soviet regulatory system, over the last ten years each country has adopted its own standards. For
example, one cannot assume that Russian regulations would be still valid in Kyrgyzstan or Ukraine.
There are detailed guidelines for all aspects of engineering design and these guidelines must be strictly
followed. They are regulations. The most common regulations include the State Standards (GOST)
and the Construction Norms and Regulations (SNiPs). The State Standards set general guidelines for
all aspects of engineering investigations, design, and construction. For example, there are at least nine
different State Standards dealing with geotechnical soil classification. They cover definitions,
terminology, methods of laboratory analyses of physical properties, organic content, peat properties,
granulometric composition, compressibility, and filtration. The Construction Norms and Regulations
provide specific calculation procedures, equations, tables, maps and design charts for the evaluation of
various engineering characteristics. These include, for example, calculations of the design flood flow,
minimum water level, buffer zone along the river, geotechnical design in permafrost areas.
In case of the engineering structure failure, the main focus of the investigation is whether there were
any deviations in the design from the procedures in GOST and SNiP. If such a deviation is found, the
blame for the failure is automatically placed on it regardless of the real cause of the problem.
C. 14 ICOLD TAILINGS DAM GUIDELINES
In 1984 the International Commission of Large Dams (ICOLD) resolved to prepare a set of guidelines
covering all safety, environmental and operational aspects of tailings facilities. The guidelines are
intended to be used by mine operators, those involved in the design, operation and rehabilitation of
tailings facilities and by government agencies for establishing regulations for safe design and
operations.
• Bulletin 74 Tailings Dam Safety – Guidelines discusses the design, operation and
rehabilitation.
• Bulletin 97 Tailings Dams. Design of Drainage – Review and Recommendations presents
recommendations regarding the provision of drainage in the various types of facilities, drainage
of foundation materials below a tailings facility, and remedial measures that may be
implemented during operation. Recommendations are also presented regarding the design of
filters and drains.
• Bulletin 98 Tailings Dams and Seismicity – Review and Recommendations covers seismic
aspects of the design of a new tailings facility and safety evaluations of an existing tailings
facility. The bulletin addresses those aspects of design pertaining to seismic stability.
• Bulletin 101 Tailings Dams. Transport, Placement and Decantation – Review and
Recommendations recognises that the majority of tailings failures have been due to an
excessive rise of water level causing the phreatic surface to reach the downstream slope or
even pass over the crest of the embankment. The bulletin descries methods of assessing the
water balance and presents recommendations regarding the design of various types of
discharge systems.
Issued by the Anglo Technical Division page 24 of 47