Emergency Preparedness at the Kassandra Mines
In 2023, our Health and Safety team at the Kassandra Mines worked hard to implement its Emergency Response Plan. This included delivering monthly trainings to its Rescue Team of 53 employee volunteers, facilitated by accredited external experts, to ensure an intimate knowledge with the mines and procedures. One example of a training was a simulated rescue from height at Olympias – the complex scenario involved three rescuers employing the correct procedures and equipment to extract a worker trapped at height, while extinguishing a small-scale fire in the area.
Hellas Gold operates a new Mine Rescue Station that is purpose-built to both train and equip the Rescue Team. The multifunctional space was designed to efficiently guide rescuers’ preparations in the case of an emergency, with stations including oxygen and atmospheric air cylinder maintenance and refilling, equipment decontamination, changing rooms and an equipment and spares warehouse. The team also spent two years designing a custom emergency response vehicle according to the specific needs of Kassandra Mines sites and is equipped to handle any emergency. It is able to carry five personnel and support first aid treatment, underground firefighting, chemical hazard/ incident response, traffic incident response, rope rescue and confined space rescue. Preparedness and timing are critical for saving lives in emergency situations and with the addition of this vehicle, emergency response time is expected to decrease by at least 45 minutes.