Mining firm Carmen Copper Corporation has been awarded the Presidential Mineral Industry and Environment Award (PMIEA) Platinum Achievement and the Most Improved Safety Performance Award for their outstanding environmental management, safety and health performance and social development initiatives.
This was given to the Toledo City-based mining firm during the Awards Night and Testimonial Dinner of the 66th Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference at the CAP-John Hay Trade and Cultural Center, Baguio City, on November 22, 2019.
Carmen Copper was awarded the Most Improved Safety Performance Award for having the highest improvement on safety and health programs implementation, as well as number of accidents, as reported in a Sunstar article.
The company has maintained a zero fatality record, a well as decreased the number of accidents. This is due to the strict implementation of the “Safety First Policy.”
The company does its operations in line with the British Standards for Occupational Health and Safety Assessments Series (BS OHSAS 18001:2007), which is certified by TUV Rheiland.
For its environmental management efforts, the company invested around P2.8 billion for its Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (EPEP) and has also intensified its progressive rehabilitation and re-greening mined-out areas.
Carmen Copper has reforested 630 hectares and planted with more than 890,000 seedlings produced in its own plant nursery.
Moreover, the mining firm also invested over P850 million in social development programs.
Carmen Copper sends children from poor families to school with full scholarships, provided skills training to unemployed residents, sent health professionals to barrios, built and improved health and birthing centers, opened roads to improve residents’ access to job centers and medical facilities and built farm-to-market roads to help local farmers.
“We are honored and humbled by these achievements. Being recognized by the industry regulators and peers is a testament to how Carmen Copper performs to go beyond mere compliance of the established mining law, policies and regulations. We will certainly continue our journey of creating value for the communities in Toledo City. We shall accomplish these through responsible stewardship,” Carmen Copper president and chief executive officer Roy Deveraturda was quoted in a statement.
