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New standard and compliance with legislation Dam emergency levels In September 2019, 82 positive DCEs were issued from the facilities in Brazil’s operating units. Two facilities improved their stability conditions and, therefore, obtained positive DCEs in the second half of the year, after a negative assessment in March: Dam 5, from the Águas Claras Mine and Taquaras Dam, from the Mar Azul Mine, both in Nova Lima (MG). There are several policies and standards regarding dam safety for our Ferrous, Coal and Base Metals areas. During 2019, Vale maintained intense contact with the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and has participated actively in preparing the Global Tailings Standard, a new standard for dam management, with publication scheduled for the second quarter of 2020. Vale is committed to meeting the new standard and adopting established best practices. Emergency situations are considered those resulting from adverse events that affect dam safety and may cause damage to its structural and operational integrity, the preservation of life, health, assets, and the environment. The emergency should be assessed and classified according to the levels below: By the end of 2019, considering the legal demands, 19 dams were declared to have a negative stability condition: Pontal System, Campo Grande, Doutor, Marés II, VI, Sul Superior, Sul Inferior, Maravilhas II, Dike B, Capitão do Mato, Vargem Grande, Capim Branco, B3/B4, Forquilha I, Forquilha II, Forquilha III, Forquilha IV, and Igarapé Bahia Group and Water Collection. The Pontal System consists of 7 facilities: Pontal Dam (main dam), Dike 2, Dike 3, Dike 4, Dike 5, Minervino Dike; and and the stability of Cordão Nova Vista Dike, and Dikes 2, 3 and Minervino were not guaranteed. Together with the National Mining Agency (ANM), the Pontal System is counted as the only facility to have a stable condition. Read more here. Level 1 - When an anomaly is detected that results in the maximum score on the state of conservation or when any other situation could potentially compromise the safety of the facility, which requires special daily inspections. After the rupture of Dam I at Brumadinho, a group of investors active in extractive industries, led by the Church of England Pensions Board, created the Investor Mining and Tailings Safety Initiative, which over the course of 2019 consulted Level 2 - When the results of actions taken in the referred Level 1 anomaly are classified as “uncontrolled” or “unextinguished,” requiring further special inspections and interventions. more than 700 extractive companies through the ICMM, thus consolidating a global database on about 1,900 dams. Vale responded to all requests for information made by the initiative and is committed to this relevant commitment to contributing to greater safety and transparency in the industry. Level 3 - When a situation of impending or imminent failure is occurring. In addition to its legal obligations, Vale’s good practice is to audit all of its dams annually, including those that are small and do not fit in the current legislation. In this sense, four structures that were not legally required to be audited according to ANM criteria, and, according to the criteria of the state legislation in Minas Gerais, only needed to be audited in 2021 due to their low potential for environmental damage, were audited and had negative DCE emissions: Alto Jacutinga, Mata Porcos, Prata and Captação Trovões. In the March 2020 cycle, the Alto Jacutinga and Prata dams already had the emission of the positive statement, returning the conditions of stability. In the specific case of the state of Minas Gerais, after the events of Brumadinho, legislative changes required Vale to update all dams’ Emergency Plans. This began to include aspects such as defining and structuring specific emergency care management for each complex; evaluating and increasing emergency care resources, especially
in units with dams at emergency levels 1, 2 or 3; completing the implementation of sound warning systems (sirens) in potentially impacted communities present in the Self-Rescue Zone (ZAS); and supporting civil defenses to prepare municipal contingency plans. Stability Condition Vale periodically reviews external and independent companies, with the objective of assessing the physical and hydraulic safety conditions of the dams. In compliance with federal legislation (Ordinance DNPM 70.389/17), twice a year, in March and September, the Regular Safety Inspection is carried out with the elabouration of the respective report (RISR acronym in Portuguese) that subsidizes the safety evaluation of the structure and results in a Stability Condition Statement (DCE acronym in Portuguese), which can be positive or negative. Other initiatives included establishing the Tailings Review Board in Base Metals operations, as well as upgrading dam instrumentation to enable remote monitoring capabilities. In addition, the use of new satellite monitoring technologies has been tested to increase surveillance routines. Chapter 4 93
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