Peñoles - Sustainable Development Report 2020

The crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19 has had multiple repercussions. At Peñoles, we took action to protect the health of our people and our communities, and to guarantee our operating continuity, to the extent possible, while complying fully with official provisions.

When the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Mexico in February, the country still had no public health guidelines or specific plan of action to confront the crisis. The first official document did not come out until May 17.

From that point on, in order to control the risk of contagion among our workers, medical services at each workplace began developing, implementing and operating safety and health protocols in strict accordance with the Technical Guidelines on Workplace Health and Safety issued by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS); the Safe Return to Work Plan, also issued by the IMSS; the Guide to Best Mining-Metallurgy practices: 2020 SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency published by the Ministry of the Economy; and the Guide to Workplace Actions during COVID-19, issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Planning. With all these guidelines in place, we were able to resume our operations once they were designated as essential economic activities by the authorities. Personnel from our administrative and support areas were assigned to work from home, which presented a challenge to our IT areas in setting up the necessary information systems and guaranteeing cybersecurity.

A Contingency Management Advisory Committee was created, made up of the CEO and the heads of the operations and maintenance, human resources, community engagement, administration and finance, health and safety, legal, and property protection areas, all with sufficient response capacity to make operating decisions. A Local Contingency Management Committee was also formed for each workplace, according to the above-mentioned guide from the Ministry of the Economy.

This committee established the general policies and parameters for contingency plans at each workplace, coordinating their development, implementation, tracking and evaluation. One the main challenges we faced was countering an attitude of resistance to self-care and skepticism about the virus’ existence among our employees and in our communities.

CONTINGENCY PLANS

Measures for vulnerable people
Reduction of staff on site at the workplace
Safe-distancing and general hygiene measures
Control of access to workplaces as well as safe handling of internal transport
Traceability of contagion chains
Education, communication and awareness-building
Social impact on host communities
Measures for a safe return to work
Epidemiological surveillance program
Promotion and monitoring of physical and mental health
Entérate en Vivo (Hear about it Live) program
Development of a COVID-19 platform

ADDRESSING CHALLENGES WITH ACTIONS

We encouraged the cration and work of multi-disciplinary teams.
We raised awareness among personnel regarding the self-reporting of contagion risk factors.
We kept our personnel informed with truthful, prompt and up-to-date information on the pandemic, through various institutional media.
We supervised compliance with the guidelines issued by competent health authorities for obtaining the necessary permits and distinctions.

2020

in February, the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Mexico.

Measures against COVID-19, Tizapa unit

Measures to prevent contagion in the company
A continuación mostramos dos conjuntos de medidas par Promoción de la salud y Protección de la salud.

Monitoring and supervision
A system for monitoring and recording compliance with contagion prevention protocols was created and implemented, incorporating structural and administrative aspects, personal protection equipment, information and training, and the COVID-19 Structure and Evidence Vault. Application of the program involved the Safe Return Committee, the Health and Safety Committee and the union. Visual verification logs were kept and discrepancies reported for correction.

Within the random testing program, 12,165 PCR tests and 7,452 rapid antibody tests were given as part of travel protocols, visits and supplier access, as well as return to working areas.

With the support of a multi-disciplinary work team we developed a COVID platform to guarantee identification, registry and tracking of patients with some risk factor, and to provide data for decision-making.

PROMOTING HEALTH

Creating a program of physical and mental care for personnel.
Developing a protocol for handling cases of contagion, whether suspected or tested positive, to protect employees, their families and their coworkers.
Promoting sanitary precaution, preventing contagion and monitoring the health of people who tested positive, in order to detect possible complications.
Having instruments on hand for prompt detection of symptoms and, through traceability, breaking the chains of contagion by isolating persons who had been in contact, professionally or socially, with the infected employee.
Identifying vulnerable personnel within the company who may suffer from chronic-degenerative disease or immune deficiency, or who are retired, pregnant or nursing.

PROTECTING HEALTH

Ensuring safe distancing through signage, marking off areas and/or physical barriers. When a process required personnel to work in close proximity, personal protection equipment was provided.
Controlling access with entrance- and exit-only points for personnel, protected by physical barriers, sanitizing carpets, automatic gel alcohol dispensers with presence sensors, cameras for measuring body temperature at a distance (anyone with a reading higher than 37.5º C was assigned to a temporary stay to be evaluated by company doctors), facemasks for all personnel entering the company and when necessary, face shields and gloves as well.
Guidelines for visitors and suppliers.
Meetings held by video instead of face-to-face, to avoid large groups and shield our most vulnerable employees from exposure.
Implement protective measures in dining rooms, including face masks, shields and gloves for all personnel who work in industrial cafeterias; physical barriers at tables, staggered working hours and signage for safe distancing.
Establish cleaning and sanitation protocols for each area.
Implement sanitary measures in personnel transport in order to minimize the risk of exposure.
Have random PCR testing of all personnel.
Provide personal protection equipment for operating personnel: half-face or full-face respirators, depending on the activities carried out in each work area.
Acrylic protectors for personnel who interact with a large number of people, along with high-visibility face shields and NK-95 face masks.

The Contingency Management Advisory Committee established the general policies and parameters for contingency plans at each workplace.

Specific objectives

Automate records.
Generate statistics and reports for decision-making.
Guarantee efficient tracking of patients with some risk factor and traceability of positive cases.
Standardize tracking and control criteria.
Strengthen the organization’s medical areas in order to ensure employees a high-quality, humane treatment.

Testing for COVID-19 at San José de Félix, Sabinas unit

The COVID platform is exclusively for the use of medical personnel. It keeps records and reports on random PCR testing; tests on patients that are being tracked; follow-up on patient health, including those that are hospitalized; traceability of workplace contagion; registry of patients with specific vulnerabilities; generation and update of historic statistics; and graphs that show the pandemic’s evolution within the organization. Construction of a COVID vaccination control panel is currently under way.

Community engagement during the emergency
During the pandemic, our social engagement and development programs conformed to the sanitary protocols and measures suggested by international organizations and the Mexican government. We maintained a participative dialogue, presence and coordination with communities and authorities through virtual and hybrid mechanisms. The solidarity between communities, authorities and company enabled us to jointly address the health emergency and adapt to the new normal.

Peñoles carried out social actions to address the needs caused by the pandemic in the states of Guerrero, Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Oaxaca, Durango, Zacatecas and Mexico, supporting healthcare personnel in hospitals and clinics with supplies, equipment and material. We also provided food, water, sanitizing gel, preventive campaigns, cleanup of public spaces and face masks for vulnerable groups and the community at large.

During the public health emergency, our joint work with authorities, foundations and communities included:

The donation of 141 Phillips Respironics E-30 respirators, in coordination with Fundación Mexicana para la Salud (Funsalud), to IMSS and ISSSTE hospitals and clinics in the states of Guerrero, Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila.
Ongoing preventive health campaigns to prevent contagion through ambient loudspeaker advertising and print materials.
Virtual workshops promoting healthy lifestyles, physical activation and recreation for communities in Coahuila, Durango, Guerrero and Oaxaca.

We also took action to deal with the pandemic in communities surrounding Peñoles operations in Peru, through preventive campaigns. Peñoles made 5,433 donations, in coordination with community presidents and representatives of health organizations in Tarica, San Antonio de Urcón, Alfonso Ugarte de Huichanga, Juan Velazco de Pasacancha, Catorce Incas, Huayllahuara, Vilca and Alto Larán.

Our internal work as a multi-disciplinary team, combined with our efforts in partnership with external stakeholders, bolstered our resilience during the year, and strengthened our sense of corporate responsibility. We are confident we can confront the public health emergency and expand our vision, aware that these new global challenges require us to continue preparing ourselves and working sustainably.

Health promoter in Tehuixtla, near Capela

159,843

Donations

409,593

Beneficiaries

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