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Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Prepare for work
   • Identify work requirements
   • Identify and control work health and safety (WHS) hazards and identify risks to the environment
   • Coordinate with appropriate personnel, including facility managers and team members
2. Research waste/tailings management requirements
   • Research and identify the type and volume of waste generated from process operations
   • Research and identify the type and amount of waste management equipment required
   • Research and identify specific legislation relevant to tailings storage facility design, construction and ongoing management
   • Identify any organisational-specific waste management requirements, practices or processes
   • Search for, and cost out, tailings equipment, resources, development and maintenance requirements
   • Research waste risk management plans and practices
   • Research environmental, WHS and community implications to waste management plan and design
   • Consolidate findings from waste/tailings management requirements, and research and use to inform planning and design considerations
3. Undertake site investigations
   • Conduct initial site visit to inform the planning and design of TMF requirements
   • Determine facility needs, including scope for variation (i.e. diurnal and process variations)
   • Plan contingencies for developing or future situations which may require action to be pre-planned
   • Adjust initial planning and design plans, as appropriate, to incorporate findings of investigations
   • Collect samples and information from site visit for further investigation to inform waste management planning and design
   • Identify key operating personnel, practices and equipment to be considered in the planning and design phase
4. Analyse and assess design criteria
   • Analyse and assess the design criteria requirements for the type and volume of waste generated from process operations
   • Analyse and assess the design criteria for the type and amount of waste management equipment required
   • Analyse and assess design criteria based on the specific legislation required
   • Analyse and assess design criteria in line with organisational-specific waste management requirements, practices or processes
   • Analyse and assess tailings equipment, resources, development and maintenance requirements, and cost implications
   • Analyse and assess risk management plan design criteria
   • Analyse and assess implications to operational personnel, training needs and human resource requirements
   • Analyse and assess safety concerns
5. Assist drafting of TMF construction plan
   • Plan and review tailings management scope
   • Develop timeline, schedule, milestone dates and time management plan
   • Develop cost management plan with built-in review and tracking processes
   • Develop quality management criteria plan with periodic reviews
   • Develop skill, knowledge, training and human resource requirements with built-in review processes
   • Develop information generation, distribution and communication plan with structured review of outcomes
   • Develop risk management plan with risk management strategies, issues registers, opportunities identification and review of outcomes protocols
   • Develop procurement management plan complete with procurement criteria and requirements, procurement contract management processes and review periods

Range Statement

This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included.
Regulatory framework	The latest version of all legislation, regulations, industry codes of practice and Australian/international standards, or the version specified by the local regulatory authority, must be used, and include one or more of the following: legislative requirements, including work health and safety (WHS) industry codes of practice and guidelines environmental regulations and guidelines Australian and other standards licence and certification requirements NSW Dams Safety Act, 1978 and the New South Wales the Dams Safety Committee or similar bodies in other states/territories All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environment (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence
Hazards	Hazards include one or more of the following: overtopping of dam wall breach/collapse of dam wall construction hazards operational hazards (e.g. drowning) eco hazards (e.g. wildlife) hazardous products and materials slippery surfaces, spills or leaks extreme weather other hazards that might arise
Procedures	All operations must be performed in accordance with relevant procedures. Procedures are written, verbal, visual, computer-based or in some other form, include one or more of the following: emergency procedures work instructions standard operating procedures (SOPs) safe work method statements (SWMS) formulas/recipes batch sheets temporary instructions any similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant
Logs and reports	Logs and reports include one or more of the following: paper or electronic-based logs and reports verbal/radio reports reporting items found which require action
Design criteria	Design criteria include providing sufficient capacity for the adequate functioning of the TMF and include the following: minimising risk of rupture of the tailings slurry delivery pipeline or decant water return pipeline minimising risk of rainfall induced erosion of the tailings facility containment wall or water imbalance minimising of geotechnical failure/excessive deformation of containment wall provision for overfilling with tailings beyond management facility capacity, especially the result of unpredicted tailings production minimising unplanned seepage of hazardous materials through the dam wall or through the foundation into the ground water protection against dust emissions especially of toxic materials provision for unplanned or uncontained floodwater in high rainfall areas
Work requirements	Work requirements will be identified from one or more of the following: briefings handovers orders compliance documentation product specifications nature and scope of tasks achievement targets operational conditions lighting conditions plant or equipment defects hazards and potential hazards coordination requirements or issues geological data site survey data site layout and out of bounds areas worksite inspection requirements

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Performance Evidence

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria, and include the ability to:

assess business and environmental risk and incorporate risk management strategies into design

develop plans for tailings management facility (TMF) that specify technical, budgetary, plant/equipment, human resource, legislative and safety requirements

determine and plan for conditions which will lead to out-of-specification operations

plan and develop enterprise procedures for the waste/tailings management plan.

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Knowledge Evidence

Evidence must be provided that demonstrates knowledge of:

tailings/waste characteristics and their impact on design of facilities, including:

mineralogy: residual resource potential and plant nutrients

chemical reactivity: toxicity, leachate potential, acid producing potential, spontaneous combustion, cementation/hydration and weathering

physical characteristics: particle size distribution, particle density compressibility, shear strength, liquefaction potential, erodibility and dusting potential

placement characteristics: placed dry density, particle sorting, permeability, bearing capacity and initial placement density

handling characteristics: solids content of slurries, trafficability during placement, flocculation/settling time and abrasiveness

tailings disposal strategies/issues, including:

the location of discharge points

the rotation sequence for discharges

the duration of deposition in an area

the location of settling ponds and decant facilities

the location and timing of intermediate paddock bunding

the likely landform created by the deposition processes at stages throughout operations up to and including final landform

flowable volumes and potential flow paths

operational maintenance requirements (e.g. dust suppression, fauna exclusion and drainage)

principles of operation of waste treatment and management of different tailings and water types, volumes and consistency.

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