Aligning environmental and regulatory procedures with a holistic project management approach for residue deposits

Abstract

To avoid the manifestation of undue risks and ensure the optimization of resource exploitation, owners of mines and practitioners of mine residue disposal must conduct disposal practices in accordance with fundamental safety and environmental objectives and principles as a set of performance criteria. Codes of practice recognise a number of minimum requirements, one of which is management practices within the constraints of the law. However, it has been noted that the current project management models for the development of a new residue deposit do not provide a holistic approach to integrate the requirements of the EIA legislation, mining regulations and others during the various project life cycle phases. The research subsequently set out to establish a project management protocol that addresses the short comings between the regulatory requirements and the project management models employed when developing a new residue deposit taking cognisance of client requirements and expectations during the various project life cycle phases. A theoretical model was developed and then verified through a case study approach. Project stakeholders of two separate cases in the South African mining sector were engaged to determine the practicality of the model. Modifications to the model are proposed and further recommendations are made to improve the model for the mining sector.