Mining and metals, Canada External Audit of the Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining Performance Indicators for Tailings Management

Summary

EEM conducted an external, formal audit of a company’s iron ore mining facilities against the Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining performance indicators for tailings management.

Approach and Solution

The approach adopted by EEM for this mandate rested on the principles outlined in ISO 19011:2011 – Guidelines for auditing management systems, with the exception that field visits of tailings management activities were not conducted as a means of reducing costs and time required on site.  The tailings management activities component was verified through the audit of records and interviews with personnel responsible for management and surveillance activities.

Results

The audit allowed the company to attain level AAA on its tailings management performance self-assessments.