Hecla’s focus on continuous improvement is reflected in our safety-first culture.
Hecla’s extensive safety practices and standards are detailed in our Safety and Health Management System (SHMS). Our standards are designed to exceed industry best practices and comply with Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) regulations in the United States, Occupational Health and Safety in Mines regulations in Quebec, and federal regulations for Occupational Health, Safety and Work Environment in Mexico.
Our focus on continuous improvement of our safety and health practices and training has resulted in steady improvement of safety performance since the launch of the SHMS in 2012.
Hecla tracks safety performance and training indicators including its All-Injury Frequency Rate (AIFR), near misses, observations, equipment damages, and training hours, with a goal of reducing safety incidents and improving upon the previous year’s performance. In 2021:
Hecla implements several programs designed to raise awareness of its safety culture and help employees develop skills that enable them to perform their work in a safe and healthy way. These programs include the SAFETY: Take it Home campaign and the Hecla Take 5 Safety Focus Program, which fosters continuous improvement by improving job site awareness and decreasing exposure to high and critical risk activities at each job site.
Our SAFETY: Take It Home campaign contest showcased how Hecla’s employees and contractors promote safety protocols learned on the job to their families at home.
Hecla’s Casa Berardi mine was awarded the John T. Ryan Safety Trophy for the Quebec-Maritime Provinces Region for outstanding safety performance for the second time in three years. The annual award is presented by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum to the mine with the lowest reportable injury frequency.
