Course

Tailings Risk for Mining Operations

Level: Introductory
Facilitators: 
Brad Strueby, Beryl Mining Services
Craig Simpson, Beryl Mining Services
Tanys MacGowan, Beryl Mining Services

Abstract:
Building Awareness. Strengthening Responsibility. Reducing Risk.
An informed workforce is an empowered workforce. Across mining operations, personnel at every level make risk-based decisions daily—often without recognizing their broader implications. With global attention on tailings facilities increasing in the wake of recent failures, and with evolving standards such as the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), it is essential that everyone involved in tailings understands the associated risks, regulatory expectations, and responsibilities that come with maintaining a social license to operate.

Course Overview
This comprehensive course provides industry professionals with a foundational understanding of tailings risk, governance, and management. Participants will learn how to recognize potential risks in the field, apply effective mitigation and management strategies, and engage in responsible communication across operational teams.

Key topics include:

• Understanding tailings facility risk and field-based identification

• Risk mitigation and control strategies across the facility lifecycle

• Risk management frameworks and governance structures

• Regulatory compliance and alignment with international standards

• Innovation and emerging technologies in tailings management

• The critical role of communication across technical, operational, and leadership groups

Short Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Identify key tailings risks and early warning indicators in the field 

• Apply structured risk management principles to tailings operations 

• Understand how governance frameworks and compliance standards apply to their work 

• Communicate effectively across disciplines to enhance overall facility safety and performance 

Target Audience: 
Project Managers, Owner's Team, Consultants, Operational Readiness Specialists, Asset Management Professionals, Commissioning Specialists Maintenance and Reliability Managers, Risk Management Professionals Sustainability and Innovation Leads, Engineering and Technical Leads in Mining Projects, HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) Coordinators, Energy Transition and Sustainability Advisors, Supply Chain and, Procurement Professionals in Mining Operations 

About the instructors: 
Brad Strueby, P.Eng. Brad has 34 years of experience in the mining industry and has worked for some of the largest resource companies in Canada including Syncrude Canada Limited, Petro Canada (secondment), Cameco Corporation, Suncor Energy (secondment) and Teck Resources. Over the span of his career Brad has managed several technical and mine operations teams and has been involved in an array of projects including Geo-environmental, Geotechnical and Mine Engineering, Technology Development, Major Projects and Joint Venture Management. Brad is an active member of the Canadian Institute of Mining and is the current Chair of the Surface Mining Society. 
Craig Simpson, P.Eng Craig has over 33 years of experience in mining engineering spanning uranium, coal, industrial minerals and oil sands. His experience includes: mine planning, design, and operation; safety system implementation; project management and execution, and; mine closure planning. Craig has held a variety of leadership roles over 25 years including managing technical planning teams in oil sands where he held the overall accountability to develop integrated mine plans that showed the impacts of strategic decisions on the life of the mining asset. Craig is passionate about collaborating to achieve integrated solutions through scenario analysis. He believes in data-driven decisions that arise from integrated mine plan outputs – providing results, risks, and opportunities to senior management.
Tanys MacGowan, P.Eng With over 25 years of experience in geotechnical engineering, Tanys has held various influential roles including Engineer of Record, geotechnical engineering advisor, director of geoservices, and director of digital innovation. Throughout her career, she has spearheaded diverse teams comprising hydrologists, geologists, geotechnical engineers, and technicians, delivering notable accomplishments such as managing the design of one of the largest tailings dam structures in oil sands history. Tanys was a leading figure in dam decommissioning, having authored one of the first approved plans in oil sands history. She has presented and authored several papers on pitwall stability, tailings dams, dam breach emergency response and an in-depth overview on geotechnical engineering in the oilsands. She is very passionate about advancing risk management through governance, education and digital and data advancements. When spare time permits, you’ll find her learning more about the psychology behind leadership where she has taken courses at Harvard, Oxford and MIT to help her better understand the influence of human nature on how organizations can achieve their goals, including those on risk management.