La Loma, October 9 of 2024
As part of its commitment to contribute to safe mining, Drummond Ltd. joined the National Emergency Response Drill, organized by the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, with the goal of strengthening the response capacity to disasters that may occur in Colombia.
For the event, which brings together public and private entities, Drummond focused its participation on the administrative areas of its mining and port operations and Bogotá headquarters, simulating an earthquake evacuation.
“It was successful because we did not have any reports of injuries. The idea is to always be
ready in case an emergency evacuation occurs,” said Johnny Guerrero, industrial safety
manager for Drummond Ltd.
For its development, the mining company took into account the preparation of its employees, through the issuance of a reminder bulletin with considerations in case of emergency evacuation, prior to the drill. It tested the operation of its general alarms for the evacuation of personnel in each of the aforementioned locations and mobilized employees to the duly identified meeting points, thus guaranteeing the success of the simulation and the safe resumption of activities in the participating areas. To do so, it had “industrial safety observers and those from the participating areas”, who documented the evacuation, counted the participants and gave instructions through a megaphone for the safe return to the areas.
“ This simulation exercise leaves us with two very important lessons. One is that we must do this exercise continuously to develop better evacuation strategies and arrange elements to avoid damage. Another is that it is an exercise that we must repeat during our time off, so that our families are also safe,” said Mauricio Arango Gutiérrez, senior mining engineer at Drummond Ltd., who participated in the drill developed at the company’s mining operations as an evacuation leader.
On the other hand, Luis Fernando Pérez, director of industrial safety at Puerto Drummond, highlighted the results of port operations: “The outcome of the day was quite positive and we are grateful to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management for inviting us to participate in these valuable spaces.”
The National Emergency Response Drill has been a fundamental tool for more than 12 years to raise public awareness about the importance of being prepared for possible disasters. Drummond recognizes the importance of this exercise and, with its participation, reaffirms its commitment to the safety and well-being of its employees and the communities where it operates.