UWA PLUS

Tailings Monitoring – MINEM532

This micro-credential has been designed for professionals working in the field of tailings management. It is best suited to practicing engineers, geoscientists or individuals with responsibility for input into risk assessments of tailings storage facilities, although the content covered and the principles discussed will find relevance in all fields of mining geomechanics.

This micro-credential is one of a series of 12 micro-credentials which, if successfully completed, will lead to a Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management* at UWA.

Future Tails is a five-year initiative funded by sponsors Rio Tinto and BHP to facilitate industry understanding of best practice mine tailings management.

Upon successful completion of this micro-credential, you'll receive:

  • Two PD Points - stackable for academic credit towards the Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management*
  • A Certificate of Achievement
  • A UWA Plus Professional Development Transcript, listing all successfully completed micro-credentials

*  In order to apply for the Graduate Certificate award you must have a Bachelor of Engineering degree or a degree in a related field.  Please refer to the Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management.

Delivery mode
Online access to learning material, on demand. Two online discussion forums will be held for students to discuss the learning material and share their own insights into the topics covered.
Course dates

6 October 2025 - 28 November 2025

Registrations close

10 October 2025

Effort
50 hours (including online learning, personal study time and assessments)
Academic lead
Professor Andy Fourie
Cost
$1,100 inc. GST
Critical information summary
MINEM532 Tailings Monitoring [PDF 243KB]
Keyboard

What you'll learn

You will learn about modes of failure, current and emerging monitoring technologies, working towards achieving ALARP, implementing TARPs and various controls and control effectiveness.

Participants will be able to:

Articulate the link between a Failure Modes and Effects analysis and credible failure modes

Identify the primary causes of key failure modes and how to identify incipient develop of failures

Compare and contrast available monitoring technologies

Evaluate the validity of the Observational Approach to credible failure modes

Keyboard 

Why study this course?

As a result of the recent Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), there is increasing demand for tailings professionals at the same time as the industry is experiencing a shortage of personnel with appropriate training. The GISTM will bring rapid change to the way the industry manages tailings and waste. This micro-credential and the subsequent micro-credentials will allow you to keep up with standards, technologies and guidelines dealing with tailings management.

Recommended prior knowledge

This micro-credential has been designed for professionals working in the field of tailings management. It is best suited to practicing engineers, geoscientists or individuals with responsibility for input into risk assessments of tailings storage facilities, although the content covered and the principles discussed will find relevance in all fields of mining geomechanics.

It is strongly recommended that students take MINEM531 - Risk Management for Tailings Engineering before taking this micro-credential.

Engineering numerical skills are required, as there will be some calculations that are essential to understanding the material.

What's next after this course?

This micro-credential is one of a series of twelve micro-credentials that are stackable towards the Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management*.

This micro-credential is one of three on the topic of Risk Evaluation. The other two on this topic are: (1) Risk Management for Tailings Engineering; and (2) Case Studies of Failures. This micro-credential can be taken concurrently with Tailings Operations also being offered in April. The Calendar of micro-credentials can be found here.

*In order to apply for the Graduate Certificate award you must have a Bachelor of Engineering degree or a degree in a related field and have met UWA's English language competency requirements. Please refer to the Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management.

Apply

Applications are open.

  • If you are not an employee of BHP or Rio Tinto, please click here to register and pay for this micro-credential
  • If you are an employee of BHP or Rio Tinto and this is your 1st-3rd Tailings Management micro, your fee is covered by your employer. Please click here to register
  • If you are an employee of BHP or Rio Tinto and this is your 4th-12th Tailings Management micro, please click here to register and pay for this micro-credential