ICMM - International Council on Mining & Metals

CASE STUDY

Security measures and public information for safe transport of chemicals: three mines in Peru

Following the Yanacocha mercury spill, three mines in Peru - Compañia Minera Antamina, Pierina mine (Barrick) and Yanacocha (Newmont Mining Corporation and Compañia des Minas Buenaventura) - initiated three programmes aimed at improving emergency response planning and implementation.

Safe Transportation Initiative

The three mining companies have instigated the promotion of a safe transport initiative that includes APELL implementation. (See below) The idea is to establish a system of auditing and monitoring of hazardous materials transport for the three operations and to establish a coordinated spill response programme. An important aspect of the initiative is to standardize common procedures among the three companies. For example, procedures such as signage, training of drivers and escorting of convoys will be the same for the companies and their contractors participating in this project. Standardization is important to make the project more efficient and to cover gaps in existing legislation.

Safe Transportation Initiative

A specialized contractor monitors the transportation units of all companies and provides support if an emergency occurs along the route. Hazardous materials trucks travel in convoy, escorted by vehicles that carry equipment to deal with any incident. All drivers and supervisors are trained to respond to an emergency. The trucks are inspected for tyre tread depth, number times a retread is performed, daily scheduled preventive maintenance, first-aid kits and equipment to control spills. All transporters are certified through audits conducted by a third-party contractor and the three mines, and the route has been evaluated by experts who examine any bridge crossings, proximity of homes and villages, areas with stray animals, sharp turns with steep gradients and so on. Trucks and containers display UN substance codes and hazard identification.

The programme includes outreach to roadside communities based on the international APELL process. Communities receive education in first-aid treatment, how to recognize hazardous materials, and basic actions in case of accident. The communities have a positive attitude towards this training. Incidents along the extended transport route from the coast to mines are decreasing in frequency and gravity. In 2004 there were only four minor incidents, causing neither physical injury nor environmental damage and only minor damage to property.

Promotion of APELL

Over the last several years, the same companies have been trying to promote APELL implementation by the government at both the national and regional level. Specifically, the three companies are promoting a pilot APELL project in their area of operations that could be expanded eventually to include other areas of the country as well as other industrial activities. Other activities designed to promote APELL in Peru have included:

• bringing an international APELL expert to Peru to conduct a survey and prepare a report;
• arranging visits of other experts, along with UN personnel, to visit Peru and meet with industry and government; and
• helping to sponsor an APELL workshop in Lima.

UNEP, the Peruvian Government, NGOs and the industry attended the Lima workshop. The main outcome was the formation of a national committee to promote APELL. This committee is made up of the national environmental agency (CONAM), Civil Defence, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Ministry of Transportation and Communication, the National Industrial Association, the National Mining Association, Antamina, Pierina, Yanacocha, the Catholic University and UNEP.

Formation of a Civil Defence Committee

The companies have also been working with local communities to promote the formation of formal civil defence committees that would be responsible for both planning and reacting to natural and humanmade disasters. This committee structure is described in the Civil Defence plans, but implementation has fallen far short of the expectations in the official documents.

Other initiatives

Antamina has been working with the nearby community of San Marcos regarding local emergency response plans in general and the Antamina emergency response plan for the tailings storage facility. They have also had a meeting with local environmental committees in Aysha, Huarmey, Huallanca and San Marcos to exchange information and discuss a variety of issues, including emergency response. All three companies are working with local authorities to improve the skills of fire-fighters and police in emergency response.

Antamina has carried out meetings with the community of Cajacay, which is located along its concentrate pipeline and transportation route, to explain the emergency response plan associated with the transport of concentrates through the concentrate pipeline. Through its third-party emergency response contractor, Antamina has also promoted the training of local fire-fighters in hazardous materials response.

General response

National authorities are interested in APELL but have struggled to adopt the system or put much into planning for its implementation. Local and regional authorities are also interested in using the APELL framework to improve their emergency response capabilities.

Peru has a civil defence system, but lack of capacity has resulted in a lack of understanding about the benefits of accepting or implementing APELL. The national APELL committee formed after the workshop in Lima is making slow progress due to lack of full buy-in and commitment by the agencies on the committee. However, some progress has been made.

A commitment has been made to hire an APELL co-ordinator, through the United Nations Development Programme, who will work with CONAM and Civil Defence to help implement the programme. Civil defence has prepared and presented a manual based on APELL for expansion of the civil defence system to include industrial emergencies. The National Council of Ministers (the Cabinet) has issued a draft resolution that makes implementation of APELL official within the government. Both CONAM and Civil Defence report to this entity, so the resolution is an official endorsement of their work on APELL.

Analysis

Local environmental committees are a good way to transmit information to the larger public, but they require additional capacity to carry out the work. The three mining companies involved in this project are committed to develop and implement the APELL programme in the area of influence of these operations. But additional experience, expertise and guidance from outside Peru is required to move the programme forward.

The Peruvian government has not yet made the most of APELL. APELL-based programmes are under way in the field and provide coverage where legislative gaps exist, especially in the area of transportation of dangerous materials (see Case Study 5). APELL has been a good way to display mining’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility to the benefit of both mining and the communities involved.