Publication: SAICE Civil Engineering
Issue: April 2025, Vol. 33, No. 3

Since the introduction of the Global Industry Standard for Tailings Management, the South African geotechnical industry has had to recalibrate the planning of geotechnical investigations, laboratory testing, and stability modelling of tailings dams in South Africa and abroad to address the risks of tailings storage facilities to neighbouring communities, the environment, and their owners.

Tailing storage facilities (TSFs) vary widely based on construction methodology (upstream, centreline, or downstream) and geometry (valley dam or impoundment). Each type requires a distinct approach to characterising in-situ conditions and tailings behaviour to ensure stability and safety.

South Africa is one of the few countries where detailed tailings characterisation is a standard requirement for most TSFs, as it forms part of the stability model due to the upstream construction method. Following the failure of the Brumadinho TSF in Brazil (an upstream dam), the industry has shifted significantly, with some regions banning upstream construction entirely and generally classifying it as very high risk.

Wates (2023) has outlined the key requirements for designing and assessing safe upstream TSFs. In addition to adhering to these standards, good teamwork is essential among:

• The mine’s production managers, who oversee operations
• The TSF operator, responsible for ensuring tailings deposition follows agreed-upon criteria
• The Engineer of Record, who continuously forecasts TSF behaviour and identifies possible triggers and risks
• The Tailings Review Board, which serves as an independent advisory panel, typically comprising professionals with at least 20 years of local and international experience.

The characterisation of the in-situ ground conditions and tailings has increased over the past five years. This has led to extensive geotechnical investigations and laboratory campaigns to classify materials based on both drained and undrained behaviour, which can used to obtain a factor of safety in stability models.

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