Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the mining industry
Jul 12th, 2017
This “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the mining industry” blogpost looks at what constitutes a minimal requirement for a Risk Assessment applied to a mining orphan site in 2013. That occurred as a result of Public Hearings in the NWT.
It then examines recent development in the field, welcoming the apparently general request for multidimensional consequence analyses.
A bit of reminiscing
For the reclamation of Giant Mine the MVREIB, an Environmental Review Board in Arctic Canada quoted the following five requirements for a socially and technically acceptable risk assessment in 2013.
- Compilation of a proper glossary containing a description of all the terms used in the project and its development, especially those that might have a common use, which differs from the technical meaning (such as “risk,” “crisis,” “hazard”) in compliance with ISO 31000.
- Definition of the project context in compliance with ISO 31000, including all the assumptions on the project environment, chronology, and finally
- Properly defined Hazard & Risk Register covering:
- Clearly defined system of macro‐ and subsystems/elements and their links describing for each one of them:
- (a) expected performances,
- (b) possible failure modes,
- (c) quantification of the related ranges (to include uncertainties) of probabilities evaluated as numbers in the range 0–1. That is a mathematical characterization with a clear explanation of the assumptions underlying their determination, and
- (d) associated magnitude of the hazards and related scenarios.
- An independent analysis of failure/success objectives.
- A holistic consequence function integrating all health and safety, environmental, economic and financial direct and indirect effects.
- Applicable published correlations and information.
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the mining industry
More recently The Global Platform was established for implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted in Sendai, Japan, in 2015. In fact, the 2017 Global Platform conference stated that there continues to be real risk coming from political attitudes. For example:
- that indicators will continue to measure disasters costs in dollars only.
- Neglect to take into full account the implications on the health, culture, environment, customs and ways of life of affected social groups.
- Use best technologies to identify the arrival of drought or the poisoning of water, earth and air. However, without the powers necessary to mitigate them.
in fact, at Riskope we are please to see that health, culture, environment, customs and ways of life of affected social groups are all considered to be valid failure criteria that should be taken into account in the multidimensional consequences of potential accidents.
Winning back public distrust
As a matter of fact we wrote in a paper at CIM back in 2013 that the public distrust towards the mining industry came from the fact that consequences are oftentimes poorly defined. We also wrote that we should take into account “indirect/life-changing” effects on population and other social aspects. These can be grasped in ORE using simplified method and considering the wide uncertainties that surrounds the driving parameters. Among these:
- human H&S,
- fish, fauna and top-soil/vegetation consequences,
- long term economic and development consequences, and finally
- social impacts.
The Sendai Framework is clearly in accordance with us. Indeed it states :”It is likely that peoples and communities will recover confidence in institutions if there is clear evidence of the willingness of States to guarantee the right to life. This means that States would have to return to work for effective regulation and protection of people. And that industry will have to adapt and respect international agreements and covenants with no tricks”.
We can note here the similarity between the Sendai Framework and the Aashukan Declaration of April 2017
Closing remarks
It seems that preserving Social License to Operate and showing leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility require risk assessments to become transparent, analyze the complexities of consequences and allow transparent dialogue between stakeholders.
Riskope has been working in those directions and has handy solutions for you. Contact us to learn more.
Tagged with: Disaster Risk Reduction, mining industry, Sendai Framework
Category: Consequences, Hazard, Mitigations, Risk analysis, Tolerance/Acceptability
On behalf of Gravitazz Institute for Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management operating from South Africa, also covering the SADC region. Gravitazz has successfully developed and organised a series of capacity building and training courses and workshops around the implementation of the Sendai Framework within Extractive and Health industries in South Africa and the rest of the SADC region.
We would like to request for support or rather collaboration in further planning, marketing and execution of this programmes in the private sector (mining companies, insurance companies and other private business in the extractive sector).
Thank you
Dear Livingstone,
Great to hear, feel free to contact us via email.
Kindest regards,
Cesar