NNT gets gold for safety, health

JAKARTA: Copper and gold mining company PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT) has received the Upakarti Aditama award from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources for its performance in maintaining the safety and health of its workers at its mine.

The award is the highest given by the government for companies that show good performance in maintaining the safety and health of its workers. The performance is measured by the frequency and severity of accidents at the workplace.

NNT, which operates a huge copper and gold mine in Batu Hijau, Lombok, recorded high performance in employee safety and health in 2002.

"In 2002, the frequency of injuries suffered by NNT employees at the workplace was only 0.04, with no fatalities," NNT General Manager Operations Phil Brumit said in a media release.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro handed the award to Phil Brumit in a ceremony on Wednesday.

NNT received the gold award, beating out 33 companies being evaluated by a panel of judges.

The evaluation was conducted in September by the ministry's officials, who visited NNT's mine site to inspect the safety and health system at the company. -- JP