COVID-19 response update
09/04/2020
The current situation is clearly a very challenging and unprecedented situation for us all. Our priority remains the health and safety of our team and the wider community.
We believe it’s important for the continuity of our business and the local economy to continue to make progress with our project. So we are closely following government guidance which states that sites should remain open so that work can continue if it is safe to do so. We have therefore developed site operating procedures, which are reviewed daily, to ensure we adhere to and even go beyond this guidance. Measures include:
- Personnel working from home wherever practical
- Workers travelling to site by car rather than together by bus
- A temperature monitoring programme
- Enhanced site cleaning, additional handwashing facilities and sanitiser stations
- Additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all site personnel
- Social distancing measures across our sites, including canteens, offices and changing facilities
- Staggered shifts and breaks to avoid crowding and ensure social distancing can be maintained
- Providing additional welfare areas for employees to aid social distancing
At Woodsmith Mine, essential plant and equipment is being maintained and we are continuing to progress with some construction, but only when it is safe to do so. At Wilton, having paused in order to develop safe working procedures, we are set to resume tunnelling on Drive 1 of the mineral transport system from Wilton.
Where it is not possible to avoid workers staying 2 metres apart, in line with government guidance the work will not take place without a specific planning process to ensure there is no other way to do it. Work practices will be developed to minimise the time people are within close contact and appropriate safeguards, such as face masks, gloves and respiratory protective equipment, will be used while the work occurs.
To find out more about Anglo American’s response to COVID-19, visit https://www.angloamerican.com/media/covid-19-update.
