The deadly breach of one of Vale's tailings dams in Brazil this year was a harsh reminder for the mining sector that it needs to consistently operate within the parameters of strict controls and stay alert to potentially tragic risks, according to the chief executive officer of Anglo American's copper business.
Hennie Faul said in an interview with Fastmarkets as part of the annual Cesco industry week in Santiago, Chile, that the dam failure at the Feij??o iron ore mine in the city of Brumadinho, in the state of Minas Gerais in southeast Brazil, in January should never have happened and casts a light on all mining companies and their reputations. "The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) already had certain standards in place for tailings dams and had called for looking at putting in place critical controls. But these standards are not mandatory so each company has to decide whether they want to implement them," Faul said. "So is it a wake up call for the mining industry? I certainly think for some it was. For...