With our diverse range of operations and local communities around the world, First Quantum’s proactive response to COVID-19 is specific to each country. Our goal is to prevent or reduce the transmission of the virus on our sites and in local towns or villages in each region.
Our operational strategies for COVID-19 vary from site to site and include:
- A focus on personal sanitization and sanitization and sterilization of equipment
- Social-distancing and minimizing our interactions with neighbouring communities where possible
- Education and training for employees, particularly those with medical roles on our site, and continual information about methods of preventing virus transmission
- Regular testing and isolation for any employee or contractor who may have or has been exposed to the virus
- Regular temperature checking of employees and contractors
- Donating medical equipment, PPE supplies and other resources to local communities
- Working closely with local health authorities
We have significant workforces (employees and contractors) on our sites. As at start of May 2020 some sites have experienced COVID-19 cases at rates that are below or reflect the general level of transmission in the neighbouring community. A number of our sites have not had any exposure to COVID-19.
Among the specific actions taken to address the needs of local communities are: supplying transportable medical modules in Panama to assist with triage and treatment of patients at hospitals; creation of a new ICU and high dependency care unit in a Zambian hospital; contracting local manufacturing of facemasks in Zambia; and changes to employee transportation in Australia to avoid local communities.