Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (LCMC) has reached another significant milestone by achieving in December 2018 five (5) million safe man-hours, and counting, without Lost Time Accident (LTA) before the year 2018 ended.
An LTA is an accident suffered by an employee on the job that results in time lost from work, including fatal accidents or those resulting in disabilities or hospitalization. The LTA reference is recognized globally as a key indicator of a company’s safety performance.
For an underground mining company employing the cut-and-fill mining method like Lepanto, such record is a mean feat, given its 1,800 strong workforce.
LCMC’s safety programs include the Safety Induction given to all employees as part of their onboarding process. Besides the employees, mine visitors touring the site are also subjected to safety induction before they can roam around the camp.
Various workshops on operation- related skills training are also carried out before an employee can operate heavy equipment like Load-Haul-Dump trucks and loaders.
Lepanto has been implementing the Lockout-tagout (LOTO), a safety procedure to ensure that employees are free from unexpected energization or startup of equipment and machinery.
Emergency drills and fire drills are also carried out regularly to inculcate in everyone safety procedures during emergencies. LCMC has an in-house Fire Rescue Team and a Mine Rescue Team, composed of highly trained and sufficiently equipped individuals who can respond to any mine emergencies.
All employees wear personal protective equipment such as hard hat, safety boots and reflectorized vest when entering the underground and industrial premises.
The company’s safety department conducts weekly and monthly safety meetings for every department, on top of the daily pep talks given to mine workers before they go underground.
“Lepanto’s commitment to the safety of its employees has been the backbone of its operation for over eight decades. Which is why we always remind our employees to never be complacent when it comes to safety. Our zero-tolerance policy for at-risk behaviors must always be observed at the workplace, and we encourage our employees to be always proactive and focus on the goal each day, to go home to our loved ones, safely”, LCMC Vice President and Resident Manager Engr. Thomas S. Consolacion concluded.
By Salvador ‘Butch’ Mendizabal Jr.
