Accident investigation and lessons not learned: AcciMap analysis of successive tailings dam collapses in Brazil

Rodrigo L. Rose, Sohan R. Mugi and Joseph Homer Saleh

Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 2023, vol. 236, issue C

Abstract: Tailings dam collapses, though rare, have significant human, economic and environmental impacts. In this study, we analyze two tailings dam collapses in Mariana and Brumadinho, Brazil, in 2015 and 2019 respectively, with a focus on the investigation of the first accident and the repeatability of its causal factors years later. We present an overview of tailings dams failures, followed by a literature review on these two disasters. We synthesize the findings of these reports and highlight the technical, managerial, and governmental factors which contributed to each accident, through an incremental AcciMap approach. We explore the investigation of the Mariana accident, emphasizing the "lessons not learned" which allowed similar causes to develop in Brumadinho. From these results, we propose three sets of recommendations geared towards enhancing the safety of tailings dams operation, improving the safety culture in the Brazilian regulatory environment, and improving the investigation process for dam accidents to ensure all contributing causes are uncovered and addressed. The key point in this discussion is the restructuring of the chains of accountability within dam accident response through nonpartisan inspection and investigation. We conclude with a discussion of the applications of such recommendations in reducing the risk of collapse at similar facilities.

Keywords: Tailings dams; Mining industry; Accident analysis; Accident investigation; AcciMap (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0951832023002223
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:reensy:v:236:y:2023:i:c:s0951832023002223

DOI: 10.1016/j.ress.2023.109308

Access Statistics for this article

Reliability Engineering and System Safety is currently edited by Carlos Guedes Soares

More articles in Reliability Engineering and System Safety from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().