Resumo:
The disaster in Brumadinho/Brazil, caused by the collapse of Dam I of mining tailings owned by
the company Vale S/A (Vale), is considered the biggest industrial disaster in the history of Brazil,
as it claimed the lives of hundreds of people, including Vale’s own workers, third parties and
residents of the community surrounding the organisation, as well as causing an unprecedented
environmental impact. Many studies have approached Brumadinho disaster from different
perspectives, but none of them have tackled it from the point of view of a Disaster Theory. This
research therefore sheds new light on understanding of the disaster. The aim of this paper is to
study the Brumadinho disaster in the light of the Theory of Man-Made Disasters and to identify
whether this disaster followed the six stages proposed by the Man-Made Theory and could thus
have been prevented. Data sources used included the official investigation report into the
accident, carried out by a government body; the report drawn up by an independent committee
hired by Vale; in addition to the reports of the Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry (PCI) of
the Federal Senate, the Federal Chamber of Deputies and the Legislative Assembly of Minas
Gerais. The existence of the six stages of disaster development was identified during the study.
Stage 1 was evidenced by the existence of a belief among the organisation’s employees that Dam
I was safe and that there was no risk of a break. Stage 2 was characterised as a long period that
began with the construction of the Dam I foundation, since there was no information about its
foundation or the material used in the first elevations. Stage 3 was characterised by the exact
moment of Dam I break. Stage 4 was evidenced by the consequences caused by the disaster, such
as deaths of people and environmental damage. Stage 5 is characterised by the rescue and salvage
of victims and was evidenced by the excellent work of government agencies and, on the other
hand, by Vale’s lack of preparation in rescue and salvage. Finally, stage 6 was characterised by
changes in legislation aimed at the safety of mining tailings dams in Brazil as whole. It can be
concluded that the Brumadinho disaster went through the six stages of development, more
specifically the incubation period, in which signs that a disaster was about to happen became
apparent and consequently measures could have been taken to avoid it.
