Q&A with Jesse Morrill-Winter on Risk Management and Mining

Jesse Morill-Winter is a Senior Risk Consultant and Consequences Specialist for GEI. He has helped mining clients manage risks associated with their tailings storage facilities (TSFs). We asked him a few questions about the fast evolving marketing place for risk management and mining projects.

What new challenges are you looking forward to in mining?

Governance for Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs) is still fairly new. The Global Industry Standard for Tailings Management (GISTM, 2020) and the ICCM Tailings Governance Framework are both less than 10 years old. A TSF failure can be like an industrial disaster and a dam failure. The challenges are significant: Emergency management strategies, raising risk awareness, and identifying beneficial solutions for operating and maintaining the TSF.

How does risk management relate to mining?

Evaluating risk and complying with regulatory authorities for TSFs is similar to our work in the dam safety industry. For dams, we assess risk as a function of the probability of a hazard, the probability of poor dam performance given the hazard, and potential consequences of dam failure. We can use this same approach for mining clients so they can continue to operate efficiently and effectively while ensuring public safety downstream.

How do you marry efficiency with risk analysis in a mining project?

Risk management is about efficiency and embracing uncertainty. My goal is to maximize the return value to our clients. At GEI we use risk-informed decision-making principles to right-size every aspect of risk management. We have a deep knowledge of risks associated with embankments and designed structures and use that expertise to support our clients.

Learn more about our work in the mining sector.