Knight Piésold Releases Its Engineer of Record Guidelines for Tailings Facilities
Knight Piésold Releases Its Engineer of Record Guidelines for Tailings Facilities

Knight Piésold Releases Its Engineer of Record Guidelines for Tailings Facilities

February 4, 2022, Denver, CO, USA – Knight Piésold has recently released a white paper on the implementation of the Engineer of Record (EOR) concept for the projects and Owners that it supports. The white paper “Engineer of Record Services for Tailings Facilities” addresses an external EOR model—one of two primary models that the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (Global Standard) recognizes—and involves a concept for both individual and company roles.

“There remains significant uncertainty about what an EOR is and how to implement the concept on tailings projects,” said Paul Ridlen, President of Knight Piésold USA and a member of Knight Piésold’s Board of Directors. “This white paper sets the standard for Knight Piésold’s approach to delivering best practice services for clients, from defining the role of an EOR (both as an individual and in the context of an engineering firm) to outlining the responsibilities of an EOR during a project and when transitioning to another person or company. It is entirely consistent with the concepts described in the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management.”

Although the concept of EOR has been present in North America since the early 20th century, it has not been widely used worldwide and inconsistently used in the mining industry. Attention became focused on the EOR concept and terminology in the mining industry after the Mount Polley tailings failure in 2014. Following other recent tailings dam failures, forensic investigations have identified the importance of an EOR in reducing risk and preventing failures, and the importance of an EOR was emphasized with the publication of the Global Standard. These forensic investigations and efforts by the engineering and mining communities have led to a consensus in the industry that Owners are best served when continuity in the EOR is maintained through the design, construction, and operational phases (and into closure when possible).

Implementation of the EOR concept involves both an individual and a company, as reflected in the Global Standard. Knight Piésold clarifies these relationships by using the term “EOR Company” to refer to the Knight Piésold operating company that enters into a contract with an Owner to provide EOR services. The individual EOR is appointed by the EOR Company, subject to the Owner’s approval, to act on behalf of Knight Piésold to provide technical advice and leadership to the Owner.

In addition to Ridlen, fellow Director David Morgan (Knight Piésold Australia) and former Director Tom Kerr (Knight Piésold Canada) had contributed to the white paper, together with input from the company’s leading tailings dam specialists around the world. The white paper is consistent with the latest guidance from the International Council on Mining and Metals, the Mining Association of Canada, the International Commission on Large Dams, and similar organizations.

“We have been actively engaged in clarifying the role of the EOR for tailings dams, having influenced or informed the policies and guidelines of several mining companies, industry groups, and professional organizations,” said Ridlen. “We continue to support clients through safe tailings management and look forward to contributing to discussions on industry policies and guidelines as the EOR landscape continues to evolve.”

Recent News

February 15, 2023
Knight Piésold Canada Named Among British Columbia's Top Employers for Eleventh Year
February 13, 2023
Jeremy Haile Receives Canadian Consulting Engineer's Lifetime Achievement Award
November 24, 2022
Knight Piésold has Strong Presence at Tailings and Mine Waste 2022
November 07, 2022
Dr. Violeta Martin and Nick Rong Contribute to Dam Safety Technical Learning with the Canadian Dam Association Community
November 02, 2022
Knight Piésold Canada's Dr. Salina Yong and Daniel Yang Present a Case Study with KGHM on Managing Excessive Pit Wall Deformation at Slope Stability 2022
October 07, 2022
Knight Piésold Chile Receives "40-hour Seal" Certification
September 20, 2022
Kevin Davenport Presents Case Study on Observed Block Cave Subsidence Progression at Caving 2022
July 28, 2022
Knight Piésold Specialists Lend Expertise at HYDROVISION International 2022
July 18, 2022
Knight Piésold Argentina Certified as a Sustainable Company by the Municipality of Godoy Cruz
June 24, 2022
Michael Barrett Speaks at Mine Water Solutions 2022 on Hydrometric Monitoring and Effluent Discharge Mixing
June 20, 2022
Dr. Violeta Martin Presents Tailings Dam Breach Inundation Modelling at the ICOLD 2022 Congress
June 16, 2022
Dr. Colin Fyfe Joins Knight Piésold Canada as Specialist Hydrogeological Engineer
February 09, 2022
Knight Piésold Canada Celebrates 10 Years as a Top Employer in British Columbia
October 19, 2021
Knight Piésold Chile Pioneers the Application of BIM and AWP to Develop Mining Projects
October 07, 2021
Dr. Violeta Martin a Key Contributor to the CDA Technical Bulletin on Tailings Dam Breach Analysis
June 25, 2021
Knight Piésold Australia to Present Findings at Mine Waste and Tailings Conference in Brisbane
June 22, 2021
Knight Piésold Argentina Recognized for Environmental Commitment by the Municipality of Godoy Cruz
May 04, 2021
Brittany Hutchings Named as Office Manager of Knight Piésold USA's Elko Office
March 16, 2021
Guillermo Barreda Appointed General Manager of Knight Piésold Peru