Rescue drills in Hosko and Pampa­lo impro­ved prepa­red­ness for emergency situa­tions

Our company’s top priority is employee safety, and our goal is zero accidents. We follow safety rules and guidelines, investigate all accidents and near-miss incidents, identify root causes, and ensure that corrective actions are implemented. To prevent accidents, our staff and contractors’ employees report safety observations, and our supervisors and company management conduct regular safety walks in our production areas.

The most significant occupational safety risks are related to maintenance work, operational work in the mine, site traffic, and the use and storage of chemicals and explosives. In 2023, our company’s accident frequency rate was 34.1, and in October 2024, it was 8.5.

“We have improved the safety of our operations by changing the mining method, investing in safety communication, training, and daily safety management. During the spring this year, we launched a comprehensive safety development program in collaboration with the consulting company dss+. As a result of these improvements, the accident frequency rate has decreased, but no number other than zero is acceptable,” says the company’s safety expert Juha Sinkkonen.

Rescue drills at least twice a year

Our safety focus is on proactive safety work, but it is also crucial to prepare for emergency situations in the production area. Rescue drills are an essential part of our safety culture and they ensure that employees know how to act in emergencies.

“We organize two statutory rescue drills annually in cooperation with the regional rescue department. Additionally, we conduct crisis and emergency situation drills to support the skills and readiness of our staff,” says Sinkkonen.

In Hosko, we practiced handling a medical emergency

In October, we conducted a rescue drill that covered the correct procedure in the event of a medical emergency. During the drill, an employee experiencing a medical emergency was evacuated from the cab of a work machine.

“We reviewed making an emergency call, first aid for an unconscious person, and moving the patient on an evacuation platform to the assembly point. The drill was conducted in cooperation with the regional rescue department, as the Hosko production area is also new to them,” Sinkkonen explains.

Simulated major accident drill in the mine improved operations

In April, a large-scale rescue drill was held in Pampalo, simulating a major accident situation in an underground mine. The entire Endomines staff, production area contractors, and the North Karelia Rescue Department participated with several units.

“The focus of the drill was on demanding rescue operations in an underground mine. Our rescue team practiced first aid and evacuation of a seriously injured unconscious patient. The simulation required assembling and leading an internal rescue team, providing emergency first aid, and cooperating with rescuers. Crisis and situation management were practiced together with the operational management of the rescue department,” Sinkkonen describes.

The demanding and multi-part exercise was successful and safe, with no safety-compromising errors observed during the drill. The exercise provided confidence in our rescue team’s current capabilities and helped identify concrete areas for improvement.

Safety work is continuous development

Our safety work is based on continuous development, where supervisors demonstrate strong ownership of safety management and lead by example in everyday life. We require all our employees and contractors to commit to responsible, interactive, and developmental safety work.

“Improving the safety culture is a process that requires the effort and commitment of all employees and contractors to joint safety work. I am pleased that safety observations and near-miss reporting have increased this year, while the accident frequency rate has decreased. The direction is right,” Sinkkonen states.