[Tailing dams ramin] inadequately addressed by many mining companies... and present some of the most common and most high-stakes risks to workers, communities and environments in the vicinity of mine sites...

...The results of the 2018 Responsible Mining Index (RMI) reveal that, worryingly, many of the world’s largest mining companies are not able to ‘know and show’ how effectively they are addressing the risks of tailings dam failure and seepage...Fifteen of the 30 companies showed no evidence of keeping track of how effectively they are addressing these risks...

The wider results of RMI 2018 show that companies are often failing to adequately share information on how they are managing social and environmental risks, particularly in providing meaningful site-level performance information...

...A 2001 report by the International Commission on Large Dams examined 221 tailings dam failures and found them all to have been preventable. So, what can mining companies do to reduce the risks of such catastrophic tailings dam failures? First, companies can more fully consider risks when designing, planning and constructing tailings dams...

...Stronger action to prevent tailings dam failure is vital to avoid the risk of more fatal consequences for workers and local communities and the widespread environmental damage and high clean-up and remediation costs that result from failure.