Security

Samarco Dam Management

Since the Fundão dam collapse in November 2015, Samarco has devoted extreme attention to strengthening its geotechnical structures, in compliance with Brazilian standards and international safety requirements.

Emergency works were carried out, following the recommendations of independent audits;
New control practices were incorporated, based on advanced monitoring techniques and technology.

On March 28, 2019, Samarco received the “Stability Condition Declarations” (DCE) of the company’s geotechnical structures from the contracted auditing company. The document was issued after data analysis and inspections and demonstrates the efficiency of the company’s integrated safety system.

The integrated safety system features:

Robust engineering with structuring projects;
Proper instrumentation;
Monitoring and Inspection Center (CMI) – online data analysis and applied intelligence;
Mining Dams Emergency Action Plan (PAEBM) and Crisis Management Support Plan (PAGC);
Emergency drills – Seven drills have been held since November 2015, with around 3,500 participants from the communities in the region.
Installation of sirens in the dam areas and in the communities of the municipalities of Mariana and Barra Longa and which are being tested every 10th day of the month, at 10am.

Nova Santarem

Dam stability and safety

Following the Fundão dam collapse, a series of works were carried out to reinforce the structures and build the tailings containment system for clarification and improvement of the quality of the water that passes through the company’s area and reaches the Gualaxo do Norte River, tributary of the Carmo River in the Doce River Basin.

The dams remain stable, as indicated by the monitoring and follow-up of specialized consultancies. Reports on the conditions of these structures are periodically sent to the competent bodies.

The Monitoring and Inspection Center (CMI), which operates 24/7 and has over 600 state-of-the-art devices and tools for control and monitoring of geotechnical structures, was installed at the Germano Complex.

Monitoring is carried out by a specialized team of trained engineers and technicians and includes geotechnical inspection.