Ministry of Justice
The Work Safety Department of the National Security Bureau has revised “Regulations on Safety Supervision/Management of Tailings Dam”’. A final draft of the revision is under review by relevant authorities.
The revised ‘Regulations’ specifically define the term ‘tailings dam’, claiming that tailings dams refer to places where tailings are discharged and stored after the dressing process in metal and non-metal mines; places for dross disposals from electrolytic smelting and other smelting processes are not defined as tailing dams.
The revised ‘Regulations’ strengthen tailings dams management from the source, enhancing implementation of corporate responsibility, increasing safety supervision/management levels and safety liabilities, hard penalties for illegal/noncompliant activities and further standardizing safety management and supervision of construction, operation, mining, closure, etc., of tailings dams.
In general, authorities have ratcheted up safety management measures for tailings dams with the aim of improving overall safety conditions.
