ISO to set up mine reclamation subcommittee

The International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) has created a new subcommittee on mining reclamation management (ISO/TC 82/SC 7) to develop international standards on minimising the potential long-term damage from mining activities.

“The antagonism between the developers, who put the priority on profit, and the local residents concerned about environmental destruction and damage to local communities can sometimes grow into a conflict that is beyond reasonable mediation,” said Prof. Sun Joon Kim, chair of ISO/TC 82/SC 7. “International standards for mining reclamation management can be beneficial as these internationally agreed guidelines help avoid excessive claims or profits from one side, leading to a win-win situation.”

The aim of the new subcommittee will be to suggest a general guideline on mine reclamation that can be applied universally, continued Prof. Kim. “Under this general guideline […] more detailed fields and standards that meet each situation can be developed.”

“The first and most important step is […] to identify and understand in detail these different needs; then we will be able to identify common ground with other topics and fields, making sure we are not isolating issues,” explained Reinhard Reinartz, chairman of the ISO technical committee on mining. “For this reason, we extensively liaise with related ISO technical committees, especially in the field of machinery. Common working groups are established to not only exchange findings but also agree on next steps and, ultimately, where possible, a common interdisciplinary standard. This will ensure best practices are being shared for the benefit of the industry and highlight where we need to be industry-specific.”

Written by Jonathan Rowland.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/12022015/iso-to-set-up-mine-reclamation-subcommittee-coal1882/