Sustainability: People

Our commitment to workplace health and safety is outlined in our health and safety policy, which is part of our broader Sustainability Policy. This commitment includes developing and maintaining, in collaboration with our workforce, robust standards, procedures and controls at each site to manage health and safety risks.

We employ safety managers, coordinators, and superintendents at each operating mine. They are supported by management, the trade union, safety committees and other groups that conduct activities such as risk reviews, audits, emergency response and mine rescue.

We conduct daily risk assessments and inspections across our mine sites to identify and eliminate potential hazards. For example, employees and contractors must complete a job safety analysis and a five-point checklist to verify that safe conditions exist prior to starting work. To prevent rock falls, we prohibit working in unstable and unsupported areas and we employ ground support techniques, including rock bolts, cables, mesh, and shotcrete to ensure safe underground workplaces.

Management oversees a monthly inspection program administered by the safety department. Senior management regularly follows up with these inspections to ensure our teams comply with our Policies and Procedures. The Safety and Hygiene Commission, mandated by Mexican law, meets once per month to audit facilities for safety and health compliance and to identify areas of opportunity or concern. The commission then recommends appropriate actions and plans.

Endeavour maintains alcohol and drug policies that prohibit their use at all sites; we do random testing of workers’ blood levels to ensure compliance.

Safety is everyone's responsibility at Endeavour, and we believe our leadership must drive this message by example. We continually invest time and resources to engage with our employees, contractors, and stakeholders to ensure safety is a priority at all times. We empower our people to proactively take the necessary steps to ensure safe measures, including stopping work and speaking up when they see an unsafe condition or action. The core message of Endeavour's Te Cuido ("I take care of you") safety culture is "Step back and take control".

Over one-third of our workforce participates in safety groups, committees, and mine rescue programs. We train all employees and contractors on safety issues. Some of this training is tailored to employees' specific roles. Upon joining Endeavour, all employees and contractors participate in a three-day induction program, which focuses on workplace safety. We provide continual safety education and interactive discussions about safety equipment, activities and recognizing and resolving hazardous situations. Each employee also takes annual refresher training or a "reinduction program" at the start of each calendar year.

Emergency response plans and teams are in place for each mine, process plant, construction site and exploration site. All employees and contractors receive first aid training as part of the new hire/induction process. Many employees are trained as responders for emergency situations in nearby communities.

Our health and safety program extends to contractors and suppliers. Anyone working for, and on behalf of, Endeavour must follow the same policy, standards and procedures we have established for health and safety. We proactively communicate these expectations to contractors and suppliers, including through our contracts with them.

Beyond those requirements, contractors need to participate in additional safety activities. For example, contractors must:

• complete our induction program covering safety topics
• follow Endeavour’s safety measures in their areas of work
• undergo safety inspections, in which any issues or concerns are documented and subsequently need to be resolved

If at any point we determine that a contractor is not following our health and safety policy, standards and procedures, Endeavour will issue a warning or sanction, or even terminate the contract if the safety violation is of high risk.

Each mine has a physician, trained paramedics, first aid clinic and ambulance in case of medical evacuation. The physicians and paramedics conduct screening and case management, medical exams, monitor specific health indicators for all employees and check occupational health and hygiene in the workplace. This monitoring ranges from organ function to lower back testing, as well as observing bio-markers (lead in blood and other blood chemistry) of our employees who work in labs or smelting facilities (twice per year). Physicians and paramedics are key participants in incident, accident and emergency response actions. 

We investigate and evaluate every incident to identify root causes and implement corrective or preventative actions to address any problems. Endeavour has a rigorous tracking system of incidents that happen and ensures that all are investigated. Incident tracking results and trends are presented in monthly reports to leadership.

Complementing our occupational safety strategies, we offer a wellness program that provides benefits and resources to support the mental and physical well-being of our workforce. The program includes mental health campaigns and counselling, wellness-related resources, fitness initiatives, prostrate and cholesterol screening, and flu vaccinations.

We provide convenient access to professional health care and advice. Our on-site physicians at each mine offer all workers annual medical exams, including X-rays, spirometry, audiometry and physicals. Community members also benefit. Our medical professionals work with our community relations team to support local medical campaigns, health education and off-site medical emergencies in surrounding communities

Mental health is critical to ensure our workers are alert, safe and engaged on the job. We provide workplace supports to help our workers deal with potential mental health challenges. Many of our efforts are guided by the new Mexican Standard on Psychological Risk Factors at the Workplace, NOM-035-STPS. We are committed to expanding mental health best practices across our company and maintaining mental wellness as an ongoing focus.