Abstract
Before gaps can be addressed, they must be identified; this presentation identifies and analyzes considers factors contributing to gaps between community and enterprise identification and understanding of risk, specifically focusing on water as the example. Risk assessment and management understanding happens in four general spheres: mining enterprise, technical advisors, stakeholder community, and regulatory bodies. Examining risk assessment processes and priorities shows that misunderstandings in where the risks ‘live’ results in dual, negative outcomes of increased risk to enterprise and community, along with lost opportunity for positive community engagement and partnering.
This presentation brings together a multi-disciplinary group of global mining industry professionals with extensive experience in project development, environment, tailings and water, community and stakeholder engagement, risk assessment, and business communication strategy. Together, they put forward their interpretations of where, why, and how these gaps forms and exist. Illustrating typical technical and enterprise risk assessment and mitigation will show the areas in which understanding of risk overlaps, in the three spheres of mining enterprise, technical, and regulatory; and most significantly, that there is little overlap in understanding of these three with the sphere of stakeholder community. Global risk guidelines and communication tools, along with risk assessment methodologies, will be discussed for their potential of creating better risk assessment and how that could address ways of building better relations with communities, and in turn, better business practice.
Contributors include:
Lynnel Reinson, MABC, President of Lynnel Reinson Communications Ltd., Vancouver, Canada
Jeff Reinson M. Sc, Founder and Managing Director of Reinson Enterprises Inc., Vancouver, Canada
Bill Danaher, Director of Risk Management Intercontinental Party Limited, Brisbane, Australia
Adrián Juárez, Ph. D Hydrology, Soil Erosion, and Environment, Founder and Director of Consultoria Tecnología Ambiental, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Ana Juárez, M. Sc. Environmental Water Management, President of Canadian Operations for Consultoria Tecnología Ambiental, Toronto, Canada and TSM Verification Provider for CIM.