2007 Responsibility Report - English (PDF) - Barrick Gold Corporation

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Barrick and the EnvironmentThe Responsible Use of CyanideCyanide has been used in the gold mining industry for decadesas an effective agent for freeing gold from ore. The use ofcyanide did not generate a great deal of public interest until2000. At that time, a cyanide spill from a Romanian gold minecontaminated a tributary of the Danube River. This incidentraised international concern, and prompted calls for a ban oncyanide use in gold mining.To address public concerns, a multi-stakeholder SteeringCommittee was formed, under the sponsorship of the UnitedNations Environment Program (UNEP) and the InternationalCouncil on Metals and the Environment (ICME), to discussoptions for avoiding similar incidents in the future. Participantsincluded the gold mining industry‚ governments‚ non-governmentalorganizations‚ labor representatives‚ cyanide producersand financial institutions. Because of our commitment to safeand responsible mining, Barrick assumed an industry leadershiprole on the Committee. The result of this process was thedevelopment of the International Cyanide Management Code(the Code) which established safe and responsible cyanidemanagement standards for the manufacture, transportation,use and disposal of cyanide. The Code is administered by thenon-profit International Cyanide Management Institute (ICMI).Adoption and implementation of the Code is voluntary. Inorder to become certified as Code compliant, companies thatadopt the Code commit to having their operations independentlyaudited by a third-party and to meet all Code requirements,including strict controls and practices for all aspectsof the cyanide life cycle. When Barrick became a signatory,we committed to certify all designated mines before the endof 2008.The process for Code certification at Barrick operations typicallyinvolves four steps.• Using ICMI guidelines, operations designated for certificationconduct gap assessments (both internal and third-party)to determine a baseline in relation to Code compliance.• Action plans to manage gaps are then prepared and activitiesundertaken to address the items in the action plans.• Once all items identified in the action plans have beencompleted, third-party auditors conduct Code certificationaudits, which are then submitted to the ICMI for review.• Upon ICMI approval, Code certification is awarded tothe operation.All Barrick operations already have robust environmental andsafety management systems in place to address most, if not allrequirements of the Code. In 2006, Barrick’s Cowal Gold Minein Australia became the first facility in the world to achieveCode Certification. In Cowal’s case, certification was “preoperational”as the project was still in the development stage.Cowal subsequently achieved operational certification in 2007.Barrick‘s Goldstrike and Ruby Hill mines in Nevada and thePierina and Lagunas Norte mines in Peru achieved certificationin 2007. The Marigold and Round Mountain mines, jointventureoperations in Nevada, were certified in 2006 and 2007,respectively. The Cortez and Bald Mountain mines in Nevadawere certified in January 2008, and Veladero in Argentinawas certified in early March 2008. The remaining designatedoperations are making progress toward certification. For moreinformation please see www.cyanidecode.org.34 Barrick Responsibility Report 2007
OFF-SITE SPILLS:Operation Substance Amount Remedial ActionEskay Creek Ethylene glycol 390 Liters Ethylene glycol leaked from a failed seal on a recirculation pumpand spilled into a power generation station sump. From thesump, it flowed into the facility’s treatment ponds where it wasdischarged to a creek. The pump was replaced and watersamples taken. Results showed there was no impact to the creek.Hemlo Tailings slurry 11.0 millionLitersFailure of a tailings pipeline caused slurry to be released into acontainment area and an un-permitted area. The tailings materialwas removed and the tailings pipeline was repaired with severalsections upgraded. There were no long-term consequences tothe environment.North MaraTwo separatespills ofuntreated water9.4 million Liters 1. Overflow of water from the tailings dam sediment trapoccurred due to vandalizing of the pump. The pump wasrepaired and the water pumped back into the tailingsstorage facility. The water was tested and did not containany contaminants.2. Overflow of water from the Nyabiriama sediment trapoccurred due to vandalizing of the pump. The pump wasreplaced. No remedial action was required.North Mara Process water 1.7 million Liters Vandals opened a valve on a leachate pipeline. Water leaked intoa containment pond. Some dead fingerlings were discovered inthe river. The valve was repaired and water sampling completed.Remediation is ongoing.North Mara Hexamine nitrate 20,000 Liters Hexamine nitrate spilled from a transport vehicle outside themine area. The area was thoroughly cleaned.HomestakeTwo separate17.7 million1. Untreated seepage bypassed the water treatment plant overClosure Projectspills ofLitersan eight-day period due to substantial rains and subsequentuntreatedrunoff in the area. The seepage water was sampled andseepageconstituents were below permit levels. There was no furtherremedial action.2. Untreated seepage (3,700 Liters) bypassed the water treatmentplant due to an upset condition caused by a frozenpipeline. The water discharged into a collection sump whichsubsequently overflowed into a creek. The pipeline was thawed,a level sensor and emergency shut-off valve were installed andnew operating protocols were instituted.HomestakeClosure ProjectUntreatedstorm water570,000 Liters Untreated storm water was released due to an open valveon a line to the water treatment plant over a 16 day period.Additional administrative protocols were put in place toprevent a recurrence.Barrick Responsibility Report 2007 35
Page 1: BarrickResponsibilityReport 2007
Page 8: 25 Years of Responsible MiningA Cul
Page 11 and 12: operation of the Company. In 2007,
Page 13 and 14: Active and genuine engagement with
Page 15 and 16: For example, we recently opened a n
Page 17 and 18: Barrick brought together a multi-di
Page 19 and 20: COWAL MINE:A Study in Sustainable D
Page 21 and 22: understanding about how agriculture
Page 23 and 24: Attracting, retaining, motivating a
Page 25 and 26: WORK-LIFE BALANCETo retain high-qua
Page 27 and 28: Improving safety and health perform
Page 29 and 30: Barrick Health SystemOver the last
Page 31 and 32: Barrick’s goal is to minimize our
Page 33 and 34: are audited, in general, every two
Page 35: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INTENSITY(
Page 39 and 40: About Barrick Gold CorporationBarri

2007 Responsibility Report - English (PDF) - Barrick Gold Corporation

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