Cerrejón was received the 'Emerald Cross' award by the Colombian Safety Council

May 29, 2012

In a ceremony held at Cerrejón’s offices, in Bogota, Renán Alfonso Rojas, President of the Colombian Safety Council (CCS its Spanish acronym), awarded the medal of merit 'Emerald Cross', achieved by Cerrejón after its good occupational health and safety performance during 2011.

Roberto Junguito Pombo, the company's President, and Luis Germán Meneses, Executive Vice-President of Operations, received the recognition, awarded after the Council conducted an evaluation and review process focused on the mining company’s activities and results in safety, health and environmental management.

The 'Emerald Cross' distinction in the Excellence category recognizes the results of Cerrejón’s day to day work, which were verified by an audit process giving the company’s management a score of 98.9% over 100%.

"It’s also worth noticing the work Cerrejón does with contractors, it is not easy to instill in other businessmen the idea that in safety and environmental management there is always room for improvement," said Renán Rojas, highlighting the role Cerrejón plays in the development of Colombian small businesses. The group of Cerrejón contractors assessed by the CCS, evidenced commitment and effectiveness in compliance with health and safety standards.

For, Roberto Junguito, the company's President, this award ratifies the social responsibility Cerrejón has with all stakeholders. "It's important for us to receive this award from the Council, because it means that we are doing things well and that we comply with all possible safety standards to ensure the welfare of our workers and neighboring communities," said to emphasize that Classified and Recordable Injury Frequency rates decreased, and that there were no fatalities last year.

For his part, Luis Germán Meneses, said that receiving an award like this does not come form improvising. "Our accomplishments with contractors as with employees are grounded on a planned and executed strategy. It’s very important for our people to further improve safety standards in hand with the Council."