Serving as a key driver in its move towards more responsible and effective tailings management and retreatment, the ever- increasing need to conform to the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) framework has been embraced by engineering and scientific consultancy SRK Consulting South Africa.
This trend has resulted in SRK Consulting South Africa investing in its own geotechnical laboratory, in Johannesburg, primarily for in-house purposes to support projects with test validations for clients, while conducting research and upskilling staff.
The new laboratory uses advanced technologies and testing methods and is one of only a few such laboratories in the country.
“The benefits of our laboratory include it improving the services that we deliver by allowing us to speed up testing where necessary and add a layer of quality assurance to results that we request from commercial laboratories”, says SRK Consulting South Africa Partner, Engineering Geologist and Departmental Lead John Stiff.
The laboratory also represents some of the core values of the consultancy, including those of excellence in its service to clients and its people -oriented approach and responsibility to develop the careers of staff.
It also aids the provision of the highest quality of data for clients’ analyses, which ultimately translates to significant savings for clients as well.
Weather The Storm
An area of concern in tailings-related practices is the significant lack of meteorological monitoring at many mines sites, says SRK Consulting South Africa Partner and Principal Environmental Scientist Philippa Burmeister.
A vital aspect of the Tailings Storage Facility (TSFs) knowledge base is accurate weather data, including site-specific rainfall levels, but many TSFs are still being managed without the necessary information.
She adds that water management is another crucial element in preventing TSF failures, which requires detailed meteorological monitoring that could trigger appropriate responses to observe trends.
Insufficient data exacerbates the challenge of predicting future weather, such as rainfall, as projections tend to be a “best guess”.
