Chilean state-owned miner Codelco is putting the brakes on its copper projects after two of its workers were killed in less than a month.
According to a Reuters report, the fatalities were reported at the Rajo Inca and Chuquo Subterranea projects.
In the former, which occurred on 18 July, a truck driven by a contractor slid off a platform at a dump while the operator was outside of the control cabin.
The truck then slid 40 meters (131 feet) down a slope.
The cause in the latter death at Chuqui Subterranea project, which is an expansion of the historical Chuquicamata mining project, has not been determined and no information was available. Chuquicamata is currently transitioning to underground mining.
The miner told Reuters it will only restart work “once the correct compliance with the security controls at each site has been reviewed.”
Codelco, together with union workers, said they will create a joint commission to investigate safety matters inside the company following the worker deaths, a source told the news service.
Source: Reuters