The International Cyanide Management Institute (ICMI) today announced the release of revised program documentation for the International Cyanide Management Code program. The revisions to the program documentation are the result of an extensive review and public consultation process.
The Cyanide Code is supported by a suite of documents that provide guidance and instructions to participating operations in preparing for certification and to auditors in assessing compliance. They also provide information, instruction, and details on administrative requirements for participating companies and auditors.
In 2019, ICMI initiated a process to undertake a comprehensive review and updating of the Cyanide Code’s supporting documents, with four key objectives:
- Accounting for changes in industry practices since initial development of the Cyanide Code and its supporting documents.
- Addressing gaps and “soft spots” in requirements for auditing and compliance.
- Clarification of procedures and guidance for compliance auditing and certification.
- Making documents more “user friendly” by eliminating duplicate materials and discrepancies.
One new document was created, the Guidance for Use of the Cyanide Production Verification Protocol. The Guidance for Use of the Mining Operations Verification Protocol previously had been used as a surrogate to provide guidance for compliance of production facilities. This revisions process has also included consolidation of selected documents to reduce duplication and discrepancies and make materials easier to locate.
Substantial revisions were made to 11 documents in this review and revisions process to improve clarity and for consistency both within and between documents. Information previously included in multiple documents were consolidated, where possible, into a single document. Documents used by operations in preparing for certification and used by auditors in evaluating compliance have been revised to account for ICMI’s experience with Cyanide Code implementation, compliance issues, and evaluating audit reports over the past 14 years, as well as changes in industry practices since initial development of the Cyanide Code.
For purposes of audit compliance, the new program documentation will be effective September 1, 2021. The documents are all accessible from the Cyanide Code website (www.cyanidecode.org). Translations of the documents into Chinese, French and Spanish will be available by August 1, and translations into Portuguese and Russian will be posted in the fourth quarter of this year.
For reference purposes, the earlier versions of the program’s documentation will be available in an archive section on the Cyanide Code website.
Relaunch of Cyanide Code Website and Release of CodeCast Podcast Series
In conjunction with the release of the revised program documentation, ICMI has relaunched the Cyanide Code website, which has a new look, improved navigation, and enhanced content. The redesigned website should make it easier for visitors to find information about participating companies, certified operations, the Cyanide Code program and documents that comprise our system. Amongst the new features is the podcast series, CodeCast, with an initial nine episodes. The series, which will be expanded in 2021 and beyond, is intended to provide listeners with information about the Cyanide Code and to help them understand its compliance requirements and expectations, supplementing training and guidance materials that are also available on the Cyanide Code website.
About the Cyanide Code & ICMI
The Cyanide Code is amongst the most established certification programs in the mining sector. This voluntary industry program is focused on the safe management of cyanide by companies producing gold and/or silver and by companies producing and transporting cyanide. It was developed under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme by a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee. The Cyanide Code is intended to promote and help ensure the safe and environmentally responsible management of cyanide used within the gold and silver mining industries. Operations are assessed for compliance triennially by qualified, independent auditors.
ICMI has been established to administer the Cyanide Code, promote its adoption, evaluate its implementation, and manage the certification process for operations using, producing and transporting cyanide. A detailed list of the operations covered by signatory companies’ applications, along with the full text of the Cyanide Code and its implementing and administrative documents, are available at www.cyanidecode.org.
Date:
Friday, June 11, 2021