ABSTRACT
Environmental, health, and safety management is a core function in many mining operations, where poor performance is a factor of significant risk for corporations. Since the 1970s, the scope of issues of concern has evolved from local to global and from a focus on the health and safety of workers to the risks to communities and ecosystems. Companies are expected to not only minimise the environmental impacts of their operations at the site level but are also increasingly required to transparently disclose and report on their results to a wide range of stakeholders. This chapter presents an overview of the management of environment, health and safety issues at the site level across the mine life cycle and develops three topics selected for their potentially high significance for the future of the mining industry: Biodiversity; Water; and Tailings. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the corporate, industry, and multi-stakeholder management standards and initiatives available to govern environmental, health, and safety management.
