The keys to reducing accidents and fatalities in mining

The Chilean mining industry reported four accidents and four fatalities up to May this year compared to 12 and 13 in all 2023.

However, the data from the national geology and mining service, Sernageomin, does not include the case last month when a worker was trapped for nearly two days inside a mine operated by Pampa Camarones in Arica y Parinacota region, due to a landslide while operating an LHD truck.

Furthermore, in June a CAEX truck at BHP's Escondida copper mine rolled over.

Although these last two incidents did not involve fatalities and there has been progress in mining safety, with rates falling between 2010 and 2023 from 45 to 13 deaths and accidents from 41 to 12, reaching zero remains a challenge.

For insight on how to eradicate fatalities and prevent risks, BNamericas spoke with Walter Muñoz, director of Chile’s mining chamber. Muñoz is a civil mining engineer and an expert in risk prevention, and leads a mining rescue team that has participated in emergency operations both in Chile and abroad.

BNamericas: What is required to improve safety standards in mining companies?

Muñoz: The key is training. Instruction must come from management and direct bosses, and be included in the mining plans, including the growing incorporation of women in the mining industry. Women, like men, must be prepared to use autonomous breathing equipment when building, for example, in underground mines where breathing conditions are not good, temperatures are high and emergencies or smoke situations can occur.

Artificial intelligence can help by allowing online lectures to be given, connected from New York, China or Tokyo, but the creation of a safety culture is still pending. Fatal accidents are generally due to human distraction or workers who are not prepared for certain positions, as in the case that occurred at Codelco. 

Editor's note: A female operator died in March due to a fire in a CAEX truck while loading minerals at the state copper company’s Radomiro Tomic division.

BNamericas: Several accidents, fatal or not, occur due to rock falls or falls from heights, according to reports from Sernageomin and the social security regulator.

Muñoz: There has been progress compared to 30 years ago, and miners use helmets, seat belts in vehicles or double harnesses to avoid falls, but risk prevention specialists still need to move towards sustainability, which involves learning the technical side of operations.

In Australia, Norway, Finland, Sweden or Poland, there are no more safety officers because everyone does their job safely. Personally, I am against signs that say “use of personal protective equipment is mandatory, wear a helmet, wear safety shoes” because every worker must be the protagonist of safety. Direct bosses must play the role of safety professionals, demanding that work be carried out with key concepts such as safety, care for the environment, preservation of flora and fauna, quality and compliance with construction deadlines.

Rock falls are often not due to human factors, such as the fatalities that occurred in the new mine level project in El Teniente, while the main tunnels were being built. [In 2014 and 2019, two workers died due to falling rocks, while carrying out work inside tunnels.]

On another occasion, a dozen operators were affected by a planking incident due to the unstable geomechanical conditions in Chile.

Editor's note: In 2023, 12 workers were trapped in Codelco’s El Teniente underground mine due to the explosion of rock at a depth of 7km, as part of the Andes Norte project.

BNamericas: How are the risks of rock collapses in underground projects evaluated in Chile?

Muñoz: In Chile, geologists use the Barton Q system to classify rock quality, which is a European standard, based on the characteristics of the mountain formation and rocks there, which are very different from Chilean rocks, which are volcanic and of lower quality.

This can be seen in the large number of European towns that are built on mountains because they have a place to settle since the rocks are firm and of better quality. I do not agree with Barton Q classification of rock. It would be important to modify this characterization and apply a rock standard in accordance with Chilean geomechanics.

BNamericas: How do the security protocols of small-scale miners differ from those of large-scale mining?

Muñoz: Medium and large mining companies have the funding to invest in safety, they have dedicated departments and professionals. On the other hand, small mining companies do not have the resources to maintain risk prevention officers on a permanent basis. Often, small mining companies and artisan miners involve one or two people up to a maximum of eight or 10, and the capital is not sufficient.

Sernageomin inspects everyone's safety equally, which is fine, but they levy the same fine, from 3mn pesos to 5mn pesos [US$3,250-US$5,400], thereby killing off small-scale mining.

Sernageomin should support small-scale mining to improve in this area and, in addition to collaborating with safety monitors, it needs more professionals to deal with cases. When the accident occurred in Pampa Camarones of the Larraín Vial company in Arica, and an operator was trapped in an LHD machine, my rescue team and I went to help.

We should not raise taxes too much, but we should provide the tools so that small-scale mining can improve its practices. If we don’t encourage exploration and safety in small-scale mining, large-scale mining will not have the backing to generate new projects. Several current large-scale mining operations originated in small-scale mining, and it has been a long time since we had a new large mining project in Chile. Most are expansions and we are already behind in terms of demand.

BNamericas: What is the composition of the mining rescue team that you lead and what have been the main cases that you have dealt with?

Muñoz: We have several experts, such as a mountain specialist, another in mine fire rescue, mining engineers, chemical engineers, ventilation experts, professionals who have worked for years at Codelco Andina and personnel from the GOPE [special police operations group]. Several of them participated in the rescue of the 33.

Editor's note: In 2010, 33 miners were trapped underground for 69 days in the San José mine, belonging to the San Esteban Primera company. The State paid total compensation of 1.24bn pesos, equivalent to US$1.3mn.

This year we dealt with the case of nine miners trapped in a leach pad at a gold mine in Turkey due to a landslide, which caused a spill of cyanide-containing tailings into the Euphrates River. Mining companies' contractors do not have sufficient knowledge of mining rescues, which is why specialist underground emergency brigades are required.