Speaker
Mr
Jim Hondros
(JRHC Enterprises Pty Ltd)
Description
Uranium mining projects in Australia must receive approval under both state and national laws based on a wide ranging impact assessment of the project. The process may take a number of years and involves multiple levels and parts of government and public consultation and scrutiny.
The impact assessment is broad and usually covers; environmental, social, health, public safety and economic aspects. Information provided in the approvals documentation needs to be presented in a credible and understandable manner for all audiences. This means making complex information simpler, while making sure that it maintains its technical integrity.
Poorly communicated information, which is overly complex, overly simplified or incomplete, can result in significant delays to the project approval which can potentially impact on project timelines.
For uranium projects, along with other projects involving radioactive materials, such as minerals sands and rare earths, radiation and its impacts usually draw a disproportionate amount of both government and public scrutiny compared to other potential impacts and risks.
It is therefore of key importance that radiation assessments are properly performed and results clearly presented and communicated with sufficient detail for stakeholders to make informed decisions. It is also important to ensure that the radiation risk is presented in perspective with other risks of the project.
This presentation outlines a structure for a radiation impact assessment based on experience from a number of projects in Australia. The structure aims to be clear and simple and ensure the right balance between scientific fact, digestible information and demonstrable competence.
Primary author
Mr
Jim Hondros
(JRHC Enterprises Pty Ltd)
