An independent safety and health organization regulated by Chilean Workers Compensation Law, Mutual de Seguridad, has recognized Bechtel Chile Ltd. for its performance on the Los Bronces Development project. It named Los Bronces the country’s safest major mining project over the last 10 years.
The Los Bronces project was built by Bechtel for Anglo American. It involved the construction of a copper concentrator with a grinding plant in Confluencia at 2.1 miles (3,400 meters) above sea level, and 33.6 miles (54 kilometers) of slurry pipe to a new flotation facility at a lower altitude in LasTortolas.
José Ivo, Bechtel’s Mining and Metals general manager for Latin America said, “We are very proud to receive this recognition from Mutual de Seguridad. Our commitment to safety and zero accidents is a value we live and work by on a daily basis.”
He added, “This project was particularly challenging—from the need to construct facilities on craggy mountain ridges thousands of feet above sea level to dealing with unexploded military ordinances and blizzards bringing deep snowfall and bitterly cold temperatures. I commend all our workers and subcontractors. They, together with our customer Anglo American’s unwavering support in the implementation of a culture of safety excellence on the project, made this recognition possible by working 48 million hours safely and responsibly.”
Bechtel’s Santiago office has been providing engineering, procurement, and construction services to the mining industry for more than 35 years. With more than 2,200 staff working on 20 projects and studies in Chile, Peru, and Argentina, Santiago is also the headquarters of Bechtel in Latin America and the home of its Copper Centre of Excellence.
