Ben Anson/The Santiago Times Staff
COQUIMBO – In the midst of an increase in infections throughout the different countries of the world, the undersecretary of Mining, Iván Cheuquelaf, launched the Covid-19 Plan – a control protocol at Minera Los Pelambres – from Antofagasta Minerals. It is a prevention policy aimed at mining companies, for the prevention, control and minimization of the contagion of this virus amongst the people who work within their sites and those who visit them.
In this instance, the authority figure pointed out that although the number of infections from Covid-19 in Chile has remained within under two thousand cases, the call is not to neglect security measures and to avoid possible outbreaks. “The mining industry has been one of the few that has been able to continue operating, always prioritizing the well-being of people. Once again, this sector has demonstrated its resilience and ability to adapt to different scenarios without failing the country, ”said the undersecretary.
In this context, Cheuquelaf highlighted the role that mining has played in the pandemic period – with a positive average mining Imacec of 1.7% between the months of January and September, while non-mining registered -8.7% in the same period, and the role it will play in the economic and social reactivation of the country, especially considering that the Cochilco investment registry for the next decade (2020-2029) is considering 49 mining projects, valued at US $ 74 billion and by only 2023 it is estimated that 33 thousand new jobs will be created.
In addition, the authority figure made a tour of the facilities where he was able to verify compliance with the different security measures that the company has implemented to protect its workers and thus thanked the enormous effort they have made to maintain operational continuity. “In Supreme Decree 23, President Sebastián Piñera established October 13th as the National Day of Mining Safety – in commemoration of the rescue of the 33 miners, which is why we wanted to launch the Covid protocol in one of the mining companies that have had better a performance in matters of contagion prevention,” he assured.
For his part, the General Manager of Minera Los Pelambres, Mauricio Larraín, indicated that “since the beginning of the pandemic in March and before we had the first suspected case, the company had a series of measures to prevent the spread of the virus, such as social distancing and the mandatory use of masks; while during the most complex stage we lowered our staff and suspended the construction of the INCO project to reinforce social isolation measures. We have strengthened our culture of safety and self-care in our workers and collaborators, who have taken each of the measures with the responsibility and importance they have.”
It should be noted that the Plan Covid-19, which is available on the website of the Ministry of Mining, incorporates mandatory measures (use of a mask, distancing, etc.), self-care measures (avoid touching eyes, avoid crowded places, etc.), capacity, entry and exit of the site; cleaning and hygiene at the workplace, organization of work, personal transportation, casinos and soup kitchens, exchange houses; handling, storage and packaging of materials – and overnight at work.
New technology in mining
During the visit to Los Pelambres mining company, Undersecretary Iván Cheuquelaf was able to learn in detail about the implementation of autonomous drilling, an important technological process that is part of the company’s automation. The project, which has a communication system between the equipment’s control room in the mine offices, and a remote operation point in the deposit – located more than 3 kilometers away, allows transferring all the information necessary to operate efficiently and safely. Additionally, it has georeferenced points and a global location system, which allows guiding the drilling machine in the drilling yard.
Although there has been a saving in maintenance costs due to the automatic operation of the equipment, which provides greater predictability in the operation and ensures the absence of human or operational failures, the greatest advantage is translated into enhancing the safety of the operators themselves, with less exposure to risk for the personnel.
“The implementation of autonomous drilling is in line with what we seek to promote with the National Mining Policy 2050. Automation, the use of new technologies, training, etc. will help us to continue advancing towards a form of mining that is more and more sustainable every day and therefore more competitive worldwide ”, said the undersecretary.
