Operational risk management applied to water resources

Abstract

The operations of the mining sector must be properly managed to avoid negative environmental impacts. In this sense, this work shows the results of the application of an operational risk management methodology based on 4 layers, Operational Risk Management (ORM), in a mining unit, with an approach focused on water resources. In the 1st layer, it was possible, through the WRAC tool, to identify 2 Priority Unwanted Events (PUEs) through the risk hierarchy based on probability and consequence matrices. In the 2nd layer, through Bow-Tie, it was possible to establish 50 controls for these 2 PUEs, of which 86% are preventive and 14% mitigatory. Through the JRA and the APRD, covered, respectively, by the 3rd and 4th layer analyses, it was possible to implement a continuous risk analysis of the operational activities. The results show that, comparing 2017 with 2020, there was a 78% reduction in the number of deviations related to the PUE controls "Loss of chemical containment" and a 50% reduction in the PUE "Launch of industrial effluent outside the parameter by the Submarine Emissary”. Therefore, the ORM proves viable to support a risk management system, and it can be replicable to other disciplines and organizations.