MANKAYAN, Benguet – Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company has achieved two million man-hours without lost time accident (LTA) on July 28 – a testament to its quest to continuously improve work and safety standards.
“We attribute this milestone to all our team members who have demonstrated absolute commitment to safety and brotherly concern for all other team members. We always remind our employees that nothing should be as comforting to them every single day as the thought that, when they leave home for work, they are certain of returning safely to their families at the end of the day,” shared Engr. Eddie Borromeo, Lepanto’s Central Safety Committee Chairperson.
With the various risks faced by workers each day especially underground, keeping the workplace safe is a huge challenge for every mining company. It becomes possible only in an environment where safety is everybody’s business and imbibed by everyone as culture or a way of life. Safety culture starts with good safety policies that thoroughly consider the physical and environmental risks in the workplace and the training of every worker to be constantly conscious of those risks and of his responsibility to eliminate or otherwise and address them.
Through the last 80 years, the safety policies of Lepanto have evolved with the kind of ground being mined, underground temperature and overall environment, materials used, and available infrastructure and equipment. They will continue to evolve and improve, as if the ubiquitous safety reminders, daily monitoring and pep talks, weekly safety meetings, and regular safety trainngs were not enough.
The Lepanto Rescue Team, composed of highly-trained professionals and miners, is adequately -equipped and constantly on call to respond to emergencies in the workplace and even in nearby and far-flung communities.
“We give utmost value to human life, just like how we take care of the environment. Accident prevention and efficient production must always go hand-in-hand in attaining our vision of becoming a global Filipino mining company”, LCMC VP and Resident Manager Engr. Thomas S. Consolacion remarked.
“The strict implementation of Safety and Loss Control Programs is part of the company’s commitment as a responsible and sustainable mining company,” Consolacion added, eyeing to breach the three million man-hours LTA- free mark by October.
By Salvador ‘Butch’ Mendizabal Jr.
