An ode to mine workers: physical safety and career safety net
Ensuring physical safety and providing career safety nets – that is how Apex Mining Co., Inc. manifests its malasakit to its diverse workforce.
Safety is a cornerstone of Apex Mining’s operations and logging zero hours of workplace accidents is a testament to its commitment to putting its workers’ well-being above all. Aside from protecting their employees from physical harm, Apex Mining also provides a safety net for its employees against career regression and the like by providing continuous training, making sure the members of its high performing team are equipped with the proper knowledge and skills and latest updates on technology and trends, too.
Safety first
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 11 conferred the Safety Milestone Award to Apex Mining Co., Inc. for recording 7,549,768 man-hours without lost time accidents between 11 March 2021 and 20 March 2022. Apex Mining also earned the Compliant Tenement Holder for CY 2021. Both honors were conferred to the all-Filipino mining company at the Stakeholders Forum held at the Grand Regal Hotel in Davao de Oro on 08 April 2022. The forum’s theme was, “Harnessing Disaster Resiliency Through Responsible Mining”. Meanwhile, its fully owned subsidiary, Itogon-Suyoc Resources, Inc. (ISRI) received the Safety Seal from the Department of Labor and Employment-Cordillera Administrative Region in March —the first mining company in CAR to get the seal.
Diversity in the workforce
Apex Mining’s mine sites, located in the north and south extremities of the archipelago (two up north in Benguet and one down south in Davao de Oro), are a microcosm of the country’s rich and diverse workforce. From highly skilled and specialized blue-collar jobs (miners, equipment operators, etc.) to white collar executives (engineers, geologists and the like) Apex Mining provides a host of career opportunities to the residents of its host and impact communities plus graduates of top universities from all around the country. More importantly, Apex Mining is a partner of the IP (indigenous peoples) communities in providing sustainable employment to IPs. As of end March 2022, the Maco Mine Site listed 221 in its employee roster who are members of the Mansaka tribe. Meanwhile, around 82% of ISRI’s work force are members of the Itogon People’s Indigenous Organization (Ibaloys, Kankaneys, and Kalanguyas).
Career growth
In August 2020, during the peak of the pandemic, four managers based in its Maco Mine Site successfully finished the Management Essentials course of the Harvard Business School Online. The graduates successfully conducted re-echo sessions to the onsite management team: Naser L. Silongan (mine area manager) discussed A Process Perspective on Management; Kenny Allan II E. Benigno (assistant manager of the Safety Dept.) on Shaping the Decision-Making Process; Kevin John P. Gocela (mine planning engineer) tackled Implementing for the Present and Learning for the Future; and, Benmarc Josef S. Negre (division manager, Mill) for Managing and Leading Change. At the Sangilo Mine Site of ISRI, 60 LHD and LPT operators earned their Certificates of Assessment from TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) after successfully completing their training.