Given the evolution of the Coronavirus worldwide and in Spain, it is vital to maintain all health and safety alerts. In all sectors, appropriate preventive and protective measures must be adopted by implementing the necessary protocols and procedures. In our blog article from June, we already discussed relevant aspects of COVID-19 management related to the construction sector and the role of health and safety coordinators. In this article, we will focus on COVID-19 management in mining.
In this regard, in April 2020, the Protocol / Work Instruction against COVID-19 in mining operations and treatment plants was updated. This document was jointly prepared by the Spanish Confederation of Rock and Industrial Mineral Extractive Industries – COMINROC, the General Council of Official Colleges of Technical Engineers and Degrees in Mines and Energy (in which Rosa Luz Carreño, CEO of GespreObra, represents the Official College of Technical Mining Engineers of Madrid as a member), and the Higher Council of Colleges of Mining Engineers. This document is kept up to date by integrating all recommendations published by the Government.
Content of the COVID-19 Protocol in Mining
The full document can be consulted on the COMINROC website, as well as on that of the General Council of Official Colleges of Technical Engineers and Degrees in Mines and Energy. This COVID-19 protocol for the extractive industry helps companies in the sector keep their prevention plans updated in accordance with its recommendations. The document completes and adapts the Guide to Good Practices in Workplaces: Measures for the Prevention of COVID-19 Contagion to the extractive industry, also published in April by the Ministry of Health and subsequent recommendations from both health authorities and other specialized centers.
It should be noted that the risk scenario for COVID-19 contagion in mining, in which individuals may find themselves, is such that contagion could only occur exceptionally. This is due to a very low or zero probability of exposure, as these are jobs that do not involve a risk of professional exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (according to Operating Criterion No. 102/2020).
The COVID-19 protocol in mining includes a series of general rules of conduct common to all jobs, as well as others specific to particular roles, such as mobile machinery operators, administrative staff, or weighbridge operators.
As always in these situations, companies have been adapting the COVID-19 protocol in mining to their specific circumstances and their corresponding health and safety systems. All of this follows a rigorous analysis. In this way, they contribute to minimizing the consequences of the pandemic on public health, as well as potential new halts in economic activity.
GespreObra in the Mining Sector
As previously mentioned, Rosa Luz Carreño represented the Official College of Technical Mining Engineers of Madrid as a member of the General Council of Official Colleges of Technical Engineers and Degrees in Mines and Energy. Many who are familiar with GespreObra’s history know of the extensive experience in health and safety in the mining sector accumulated by the team and, specifically, by its founder, Rosa Luz Carreño. In this sense, GespreObra offers services related to health and safety in the mining sector. Among the many consultancy services offered is advice on occupational risk prevention in the extraction sector, as well as the preparation of the Health and Safety Document for a mining operation (DSS).
