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Chilean copper miner Codelco, contractors fined after deadly mine collapse
Chilean copper miner Codelco, contractors fined after deadly mine collapse
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By Kylie MadryChilean state copper miner Codelco was fined by labor authorities after last year's deadly collapse at its El Teniente mine, while three contractors whose workers were killed or injured were sanctioned more heavily, according to inspection records obtained by Reuters through public-records requests.The previously unreported sanctions were imposed in the months following the July 31 underground seismic event that triggered a rock burst at El Teniente, the world's largest underground copper mine, killing six contract workers and injuring others.Reuters obtained the files from Chile's labor ministry through open-records requests. In Chile, such fines are notified directly to employers and can be challenged or reduced administratively, but are not typically disclosed in public announcements.At the time of the accident, then-Labor Minister Giorgio Boccardo said that his office and the mining regulator, Sernageomin, would investigate the causes of the incident and whether any labor-safety rules had been breached.The quake, measured at about magnitude 4.3, led to a halt in all underground operations at the sprawling mine complex amid rescue efforts and safety inspections.The collapse carried a significant production cost for Codelco. The company has said the shutdown of underground operations at El Teniente and a slow restart cut copper output by tens of thousands of metric tons, disrupting shipments at a time of tight global supply.The disaster also underscored the geotechnical risks facing Chile's aging underground mines.CONTRACTORS FINED MORE THAN CODELCOThe records show the three contractors were fined the equivalent of about $87,000 combined, versus roughly $20,000 for Codelco, a gap that reflects Chile's split-liability framework for subcontracted work.While the principal company - Codelco - can be penalized for overarching safety failures, contractors remain directly responsible as employers for accident reporting, risk assessment, worker assignment and other compliance duties, under Chile's labor code.In one sanction, labor inspectors said Codelco lacked a complete, written procedure showing how seismic warnings were used to decide whether work should stop or be restricted.After the accident, regulators also found that Codelco violated labor rules when workers were found entering, or preparing to enter, underground areas while the mine-wide...