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Safe Operations

Since the beginning of its activities, Atalaya Mining has been committed to guaranteeing safety and preventing any accident in the mining operation.

Safe Operations guiding principle:

  • Prioritize a safe operation, seeking continuous improvement in the field of safety and people’s health with the zero damage end goal.

Our performance 2020-2022

Project SafetyValue
Number of “Category A” waste mining storage facilities1 (number)3
Cumulative Safety incidents (2020-2022) (number)0
Dam safety factor1.88
Occupational Health and Safety2202020212022
Number and rate of fatalities000
Lost time injury f requency rate (LTIR) – own employees3.946.095.12
Lost time injury f requency rate (LTIR) – contractors3.7010.0010.2
Severity rate – own employees0.240.200.18
Severity rate – contractors0.190.280.25

1“Category A” installation in accordance with Annex II of Royal Decree 975/2009. Atalaya Riotinto includes two waste dumps and one tailing storage facility (TSF).
2 Data for Atalaya Riotinto, the Company’s only asset in operation. The rest of Atalaya’s projects, not in operation, are of lesser relevance. All data corresponding to the Riotinto project refers to all employees working on the project, both their own employees and contractor personnel working at the site.

FIND OUT MORE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT, PAGE 66

A tailings management facility (TMF) is a structure built for the purposes of storing the uneconomic ore generated in the mine processing plant after the milling and flotation process.

Since its inception, Atalaya has held safety as one of its top priorities. Even before legislation was in place, the Riotinto tailings dam was designed with safety factors above current standards. No structural incident has ever occurred in the dams.

Tailings Facility Inventory

The below table provides detail about the tailings facility managed by Atalaya.

Mine OperationRiotinto
Tailings Facility1
Construction MethodCenterline
Consequence ClassificationCategory A (under RD 975/2009)
StatusActive
Number of Tailings Dam Structures3
Most Recent Dam Safety Inspection6 October 2022 (by independent party)

The construction methodology used in the tailings facility is based on rock material dam, which complies with the attainment of high safety factors according to international standards.

Best Practice

Atalaya is undertaking an innovative digital transition to geotechnical and geodetic control of the Riotinto TMF that can be applied to other structures. The aim is to create a multidisciplinary monitoring and interpretation platform that will integrate classical monitoring techniques with innovative satellite, passive seismic and artificial intelligence techniques in real time. The project is divided into three phases:

  1. Research: Study of the potential of three innovative monitoring techniques for stability control in mining environments:
    • INSAR: radar interferometry using the Sentinel-1 satellite of the Copernicus programme (CE-ESA).
    • Passive seismic: induced seismicity and ambient noise interferometry (ANI).
    • AI surveillance: analysis of video images in real time.
  2. Development: Calibration and validation of results using other classical techniques and field experience.
  3. Innovation: Integration of multidisciplinary results in a single platform at end-user level; results, graphs, maps and reports in an easily interpretable format and a multidisciplinary platform of early warning systems.
FIND OUT MORE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT, PAGE 68

Atalaya Mining is committed to ensuring the occupational health and safety of all people working on its projects.

To achieve this, it has implemented an Occupational Health and Safety Management System which has been externally certified in accordance with ISO 45001:2018. This management system develops the principles and commitments set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Policy and extends to all personnel working at Riotinto operations. Contracting companies are also included and the Company appoints a designated coordinator to control contractors’ work.

In order to deploy its management system and achieve its safety objectives, Atalaya has set up its own Prevention Service which includes the four technical specialities (industrial hygiene, safety at work, ergonomics and applied psychosociology) and has arranged health surveillance with an external prevention service which carries out annual medical check-ups for all employees.

FIND OUT MORE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT, PAGE 77

Strengthening the safety culture and extending it to all employees remains the Company’s priority. The continuous training of our staff and the implementation of a pioneering safety leadership programme are the pillars of our safety culture.

FIND OUT MORE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT, PAGE 80

A tailings management facility (TMF) is a structure built for the purposes of storing the uneconomic ore generated in the mine processing plant after the milling and flotation process.

Since its inception, Atalaya has held safety as one of its top priorities. Even before legislation was in place, the Riotinto tailings dam was designed with safety factors above current standards. No structural incident has ever occurred in the dams.

Tailings Facility Inventory

The below table provides detail about the tailings facility managed by Atalaya.

Mine OperationRiotinto
Tailings Facility1
Construction MethodCenterline
Consequence ClassificationCategory A (under RD 975/2009)
StatusActive
Number of Tailings Dam Structures3
Most Recent Dam Safety Inspection6 October 2022 (by independent party)

The construction methodology used in the tailings facility is based on rock material dam, which complies with the attainment of high safety factors according to international standards.

Best Practice

Atalaya is undertaking an innovative digital transition to geotechnical and geodetic control of the Riotinto TMF that can be applied to other structures. The aim is to create a multidisciplinary monitoring and interpretation platform that will integrate classical monitoring techniques with innovative satellite, passive seismic and artificial intelligence techniques in real time. The project is divided into three phases:

  1. Research: Study of the potential of three innovative monitoring techniques for stability control in mining environments:
    • INSAR: radar interferometry using the Sentinel-1 satellite of the Copernicus programme (CE-ESA).
    • Passive seismic: induced seismicity and ambient noise interferometry (ANI).
    • AI surveillance: analysis of video images in real time.
  2. Development: Calibration and validation of results using other classical techniques and field experience.
  3. Innovation: Integration of multidisciplinary results in a single platform at end-user level; results, graphs, maps and reports in an easily interpretable format and a multidisciplinary platform of early warning systems.
FIND OUT MORE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT, PAGE 52

Atalaya Mining is committed to ensuring the occupational health and safety of all people working on its projects.

To achieve this, it has implemented an Occupational Health and Safety Management System which has been externally certified in accordance with ISO 45001:2018. This management system develops the principles and commitments set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Policy and extends to all personnel working at Riotinto operations. Contracting companies are also included and the Company appoints a designated coordinator to control contractors’ work.

In order to deploy its management system and achieve its safety objectives, Atalaya has set up its own Prevention Service which includes the four technical specialities (industrial hygiene, safety at work, ergonomics and applied psychosociology) and has arranged health surveillance with an external prevention service which carries out annual medical check-ups for all employees.

FIND OUT MORE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT, PAGE 52

Strengthening the safety culture and extending it to all employees remains the Company’s priority. The continuous training of our staff and the implementation of a pioneering safety leadership programme are the pillars of our safety culture.

FIND OUT MORE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT, PAGE 59

Safe Operations: Case Study

Creation of a self-protection brigade

In 2019, Atalaya created its own self-protection brigade made up of volunteer workers who have received specific training in basic life support and first aid, rescue at heights, confined spaces and fire protection.

To provide this training, the Company has been advised by a leading organisation in this field, as well as with the collaboration of the Seville Fire Brigade, with which the Company has signified a specific agreement. In 2021, Atalaya added three new members to this brigade which is composed of 26 brigadiers, 4 people from the emergency committee, the emergency manager and 2 first response heads.

Sustainability