BUSINESS: 532 PRACTICES
The mining company HELLAS GOLD SA was established in December 2003 with aiming to: Operate mines of all kinds, processing and marketing of minerals, establish and operate metalworking operations for vertical integration of production in Halkidiki.
Hellas Gold operates with the absolute priority of the safety of its people and the local community of Municipality of Aristotle, with which its activity is closely linked. Even more so now, and with even greater intensity and vigilance in light of the new critical condition and the unprecedented emergency conditions that the entire country is experiencing with the spread of covid-19, in addition to full compliance with the instructions of the State and competent Health Authority, our company has acted with promptness, adopting a series of preventive measures to protect and inform its staff, while ensuring its business continuity and operation.
The purpose of this action was to fully organize and prepare the administration and the personnel for the management of this crisis, with the aim of maintaining the balance between a smooth operation during this crisis.
The Action Plan to combat Covid-19 concerns more than 1,600 employees at 3 different sites and 5 different geographical points of employment. Without any previous experience in managing an outbreak of a contagious disease and amid an unprecedented and ever-changing multifaceted crisis that has become much more complex, the initial concern was the urgent and immediate implementation of measures that received the support of all Management teams as well as the workforce.
The Emergency Relief Fund we established to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic supported the Municipality of Aristotle’s Health infrastructure with a substantial impact on the residents, but at the same time it also significantly strengthened the National Health System in Northern Greece supporting the national effort to deal with the pandemic.
2020-2021
With absolute respect for the values of Health & Safety in the workplace and promptly recognizing the special conditions from:
From the very beginning, we adopted a series of multi-faceted prevention measures to protect the health of our employees and our partners, and we established the "Action Plan for dealing with Covid-19", which provides for:
In addition to the preventive measures, the Action Plan also includes the Procedure for dealing with employees showing symptoms of COVID-19, which was developed based on the classification of the risk of the conditions in combination with medical examinations. The cornerstone of the Procedure is, clearly, the Company's concern to simultaneously manage the prevention of the virus transmission and the protection of personal data.
The development of an integrated Action Plan, a detailed guide approved by the Company's Board of Directors, based on which arrangements were made regarding:
Besides the above, it is worth mentioning the establishment of alternative work programs in harmony with government measures and their regulatory framework, such as:
In addition, we are participating from the first moment in the national effort to deal with the pandemic, setting up an Emergency Relief Fund, to finance initiatives worth more than 250,000 euros, both to support the health care work of the Municipality of Aristotle, and to strengthen the National Health System in Northern Greece
Indicatively, below are some of the key measures that have contributed to the smooth operation of our construction sites, as well as the corresponding expenditure figures that validate their dynamics and importance:
In addition, the results of our actions through the Emergency Relief Fund are summarized below:
Indicatively, below are some of the key measures that have contributed to the smooth operation of our construction sites, as well as the corresponding expenditure figures that validate their dynamics and importance:
In addition, the results of our actions through the Emergency Relief Fund are summarized below:
The action plan for dealing with Covid-19 applies to all Hellas Gold facilities, all its mining projects and administrative structures. At the same time, the actions launched through the Relief Fund concern both the community of the Municipality of Aristotelis and the wider area of the Prefecture of Halkidiki through the support of local structures, but also the entire country through the strengthening of central structures.
Emergency Relief Fund for the Support of the Health System in Northern Greece and the Municipality of Aristotle
To protect the wider community in which we operate, we participated from the first moment in the national effort to deal with the pandemic, by establishing an Emergency Relief Fund, to finance initiatives worth more than 250,000 euros, both for the support of the health work carried out by the Municipality of Aristotle, as well as for strengthening the structures of the National Health System in Northern Greece. In this context, we joined forces as supporters, assisting the Municipality of Aristotle and the competent health institutions in Northern Greece in their difficult mission.
Based on the imperative need to enhance the safety and confidence of employees and to maintain the psychological and spiritual dynamics of our human resources, a dynamic information and communication plan was designed and implemented, which played a key role in the continuous alertness and preparedness of the whole team.
It is an ambitious plan, with specific regular and ad hoc instructions issued by the Company and communicated by the Communications, Health & Safety and Human Resources Departments, such as the Weekly Coronavirus Briefing which includes the Applicable Government & Corporate Measures, the Weekly Safety Technician Briefing per site, the Monthly Safety Issue focusing on individual tasks or conditions, the Emergency Safety Briefings and enforcement of new preventive measures, the briefing of local agencies and authorities on protective measures, etc.
As regards the overall performance of the corporate measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus within the mining facilities, it is worth noting that out of a total of 7,150 tests, only 1.5% were diagnosed positive, of which more than 85% of workers were detected before entering the facilities to perform their work, preventing possible spread. This resulted in both maintaining a healthy work climate and sustaining productive activity that continued to generate revenue for the State and local communities with a satisfactory increase in production despite the special circumstances.
In addition, amid an "Emergency" situation, the annual Frequency and Severity 2020 indicators show a significant decrease compared to 2019 of 36% and 11% respectively, at the same time that two of our five sites (Olympias and Skouries) achieved the remarkable milestone of exceeding 1,000 days without an accident.
