Major Drilling teams at the Newmont Merian Mine celebrate 484 consecutive days with no lost time injuries.
Major Drilling Suriname teams are celebrating a well-earned safety milestone at the Newmont Suriname Merian Mine. For 484 consecutive days, from Oct. 29, 2019, to Feb. 24, 2021, drilling teams had no recordable incidents as they safely completed mainly core drilling at the mine.
At the Merian Mine, Major Drilling Suriname teams are proud to honor their long safety record.
“The team did great to manage more than a year without a recordable incident—there was not even a First Aid injury,” Marc Turcot, Major Drilling General Manager Guyana Shield, said.
Major Drilling operates this D65 rig to drill blast holes at Newmont Corporation’s Merian Mine operations in Suriname.
Turcot also notes that ever since Major Drilling began working at Merian Mine in 2012, drilling teams have had no lost time injuries.
“That’s another reason we show our appreciation for our valued client relationship,” he said. “We are proud to celebrate the occasion with our team and honor our long-time partnership with Newmont.”
Additional work at Merian Mine includes a smaller contingent of the Major Drilling team which commenced blast hole drilling in late July 2020. Major Drilling transported a newly purchased D65 drill from Sweden to Suriname specifically to address blast hole drilling needs at the mine. The D65 is an important addition to Major Drilling’s South American fleet in Suriname where Major Drilling has operated since 1995.
“We are beginning to see a demand for specialized drilling services in South America and we are preparing to meet that demand,” Ashley Martin, Major Drilling VP Operations – South America, said.
In recent years, Newmont has significantly invested in the surface gold mine operations at the Merian Mine. Commercial production has been ongoing since October 2016.
For Newmont, drilling teams also perform horizontal drilling, dewatering wells and various small geotechnical programs. Making up approximately 70 members of the 2,000-strong workforce at the Merian Mine, Major Drilling staff are primarily core drilling. They extensively and regularly train in safety systems so they can confidently provide results at the project.
The ability and expertise needed to work safely is always intentional. The variety of specialized drilling that teams perform requires exact adherence to safety protocols and a team dedicated to the progress of each project. Safety programs include the TAKE 5 risk assessment, the 10 Lifesaving Rules and Critical Risks Management. These programs reinforce Major Drilling’s proactive approach to health and safety and ensure the branch has access to the most up-to-date safety standards.
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