Free Essay

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

In: Business and Management

Submitted By artmolina
Words 1192
Pages 5
Chilean Copper Mine Collapse
The Chilean mine collapse in which over 30 workers were trapped in Northern Chile is an example where knowing your audience is important when you have to pass the information of the collapse. The incident in question (Weik, 2010), “San José mine, a small copper operation in northern Chile owned by Minera San Esteban Primera, suffered a cave-in on August 5, leaving 33 workers trapped underground. Rescuers are drilling holes in an attempt to locate the workers, but there is no official confirmation whether they would be alive after four days with limited food, water and oxygen. A second cave-in on Saturday forced rescuers to suspend works for several hours. Workers are trapped at a depth of around 300 metres.” It is the responsibility of the mine owner, to pass the information of the collapse to those who have family members trapped along with the co-workers of those trapped. The importance of timely and accurate information is critical in this type of information.
In passing the information to the families of the trapped miners,” you should always break bad news to someone in person.”(Bonander, n.d.) This may not be made by the owner of the company necessary but it is his/her responsibility to ensure it is done, possibly by a public relations representative. Ideally this information would be passed face to face in the individual homes of the victims’ families. In this case many families may have already gone to the mine site when they first heard of the mine collapse in this case it may be appropriate for all the families to be brought into a private area to pass the news of the trapped miners as a group. Along with the passing of the news it would be appropriate to have counselors available (at owners expense) to help the families deal with the tremendous news they have received. It would also be important to have someone available to share any benefits that the victim’s family may be entitled to as a result of the accident. This may not be the time to share this information but it would be important for the family to know it is available and how to access the information. After the passing of the information initially it is important to follow up with the family to see if they have any needs that you may have available for them and give them an avenue to reach out to you in the event they have a question or request of you.
In passing news to the coworkers of the trapped miners it would be appropriate to get all the employees together either on or off-site to pass the news of the collapse and who is trapped and the efforts that are being made to rescue them. This message could be passed in a group setting by either the owner or public relations representative. The employees would also need access to counseling after an event such as this, to deal with the possible loss of friends and the possibility that it could have be them trapped in the collapsed mine. Just as with the family members it is important to follow up with the employees to ensure they are coping with the tragedy and understand what is going on with the rescue efforts. This may calm them to know that the company is doing everything they can to help those that are trapped and reassure them that if they were in the victims’ situation you would be doing the same for them.
It is never good to be the bearer of bad news but if you do so with genuine compassion in the most private area available and are there to support after the information is accepted then you are doing it right and to the best of your ability. In the end all 33 of the miners were rescued after 69 days (Komnenic, 2013). This incident could have had much worse results which would have required the company to pass the worst news imaginable but with the steps above could have done so with dignity for all.
Family statement:
I am XXXXXXXXXX public relations officer of San Jose mine. As you already know we have had a great tragedy here at the mine today. Minera San Esteban Primera, all the officers of the San Jose mine and I are truly sorry this has occurred and are here to support you. You have been gathered here because you’re loved ones are those that have not been accounted for. What we know now is the ceiling has collapsed in a lower portion of the mine and 33 men that were working past that section of the mine are currently trapped, Their wellbeing is currently unknown as we have no way of communication to the lower mine now. I understand that you have many question, but in efforts to rescue those that may still be trapped in the mine every resource is being used to formulate a plan to communicate with those that may still be alive and plan to extract all the men form the mine. We have counselors available for you to speak with directly after this. We have a hotline for you to use to ask questions in the packet available for you. Again my deepest sympathy goes out to each and every one of you. Now if you would excuse me I am going to pass this same information to the employees waiting for me in the room next door.
Employee statement:
I am XXXXXXXXXX public relations officer of San Jose mine. As you already know we have had a great tragedy here at the mine today. Minera San Esteban Primera, all the officers of the San Jose mine and I are truly sorry this has occurred and are here to support you. You have been gathered here to let you know what is going on. What we know now is the ceiling has collapsed in a lower portion of the mine and 33 men that were working past that section of the mine are currently trapped. As you may know there is no way communication to the lower mine now. I understand that you have many question, but in efforts to rescue those that may still be trapped in the mine every resource is being used to formulate a plan to communicate with those that may still be alive and plan to extract all the men form the mine. We have counselors available for you to speak with directly after this. Again my deepest sympathy goes out to each and every one of you. Now if you would excuse me I am going to pass this same information to the news media waiting for me in the room next door.

References
Bonander, R. (n.d.). Break Bad News: 4 Steps. Retrieved from http://www.askmen.com
Komnenic, A. (2013, Aug 2). Investigation into infamous Chilean mine collapse closes. Retrieved from http://www.mining.com
Weik, J. (2010). Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse. Metal Bulletin Daily, 1(224), 65.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Chilean Copper Mine Collapse: news release to family 1 Andrey Maas BCOM/275 January 30, 2013 Toya Belgin Chilean Copper Mine Collapse: news release to family 2 We come before you today humbled by tragedy, as we reluctantly must inform you that our San Jose mine has collapsed trapping your loved ones inside. It happened on August 5, 2011 around 3 o’clock. At this time it is unsure of what actually caused the mine collapse, we do not know the physical condition of those trapped inside, nor do we know of any fatalities at this time. We were able to identify the personnel who were missing after the collapse, and it is unfortunately and with regret that I have to inform you that these men are your loved ones. I come to you face to face because, I and this company has always treated and thought of everyone in this company as one family. At this time we have numerous rescue specialists, and organizations working on determining different strategies and approaches that we will use to get to the men that are trapped down below. I would like to inform you that we have also informed the Regional Governor, Ximena and Governor Nicolas Noman and a Minister of Mining, Laurence Goldborne...

Words: 831 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Chilean Copper Mine Collapse On August 5, 2010, a Chilean copper mine collapsed in San Jose, North Chile, trapping 33 workers underground. It was not until 17 days later that rescuers discovered that all of the trapped men were still alive. The Chilean government took over day one and brought in oilrig trucks to dig ½ mile down to the trapped miners. The oilrigs drilled a 26 in wide hole in which they sent a cage down to the miners. Rescuers needed to care for the miners’ health with food, exercise, and games while ensuring the miners girth stay under 35 inches. Once the cage reached the miners, it took 1-3 hours to bring one miner up at a time. The rescue operation had a price tag of around $10 million to $20 Million. The rescue operation was watched from around the world although it initially did not have national exposure until an editor helped it go viral. Supplies such as fresh air, clothing, food, medicine, sleeping cots, electricity, and running water were provided through two six in boreholes spanning 2300 feet. On the surface families stayed near the mine at a make shift camp called ‘Camp Hope” and were able to send and receive letters in an effort to comfort the miners during the rescue which initially thought would take up to 4 months. The miners did understand that the rescue would take some time and requested a small television to watch their beloved soccer games. After 69 pain-staking days, the miners began ascending from the depths...

Words: 891 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Chilean Copper Mine Collapse A small copper mine in San Jose, located in north Chile, collapsed trapping workers underground. The mine collapsed on August 5th, trapping 33 workers in the mine. The coverage of this mine collapse came two long weeks after the traumatic event. Initially the incident did not catch any news worthy attention. Mine collapses are pretty common but the accident finally caught the interest of an editor, and then it went viral from there. The mine is approximately 300 meters deep. Rescuers had to drill a second hole to locate workers but there was no confirmation of any active life underground in the initial survey of the situation. There was a limited supply of what the miners would need down there such as water, food, and oxygen and it had been 4 days since the mine collapsed. There was a lot of speculation as to whether workers would be alive down there with the limited resources but rescuers worked at a non-stop pace to get to the trapped miners in hopes that there were survivors. A second cave-in the Saturday after the initial collapse, delayed rescuers for approximately 3 additional hours before they could resume their rescue efforts. The accident trapped workers for over two months at depths up to 2000 feet below ground. A tunnel gave way and the story was seen around the world as a miracle. The worldwide coverage was intense showing every detail of what Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Chilean...

Words: 1162 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Rhonda Jenkins BCOM/275 09/03/2012 Charles Cattermole Chilean Copper Mine Collapse The news of a devastating accident is not easy to prepare or communicate to anyone involved. Being the bearer of bad news is never easy. The way in which the news is delivered, and what must be done before and after the news is relayed is also important. The needs of the employees are different than the needs of the family members of those men who were trapped in the mine. It is vital to make sure to address each of these groups in a specific way. When addressing the employees, the best method of communication for an accident such as this is a face to face meeting. This type of devastating news is too important to be delivered in an n e-mail or memo. When human suffering is involved the method of communication must be in keeping with the importance of the situation. A face to face meeting is also warranted when delivering the news to the families of the men who were trapped. In the case of the employees, the best method is to go to the location of the mine and have a face to face with all employees. In regards XXXXX XXXXX families, it would be best to provide transportation for all of the families to a location available that can hold all the people. A face to face is the only acceptable method. To deliver any other way would be to suggest a level of un-importance. The action that must be taken before meeting with each of the two groups, the families...

Words: 1081 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Pat Jones BCOM/275 Ronald Baker When dealing with a natural tragedy like the Chilean Copper Mine Collapse there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration when dealing with mishaps like this. There are legal factors that need to be considered first before the company can outreach to anyone. The first release will be the one to the families and internal staff of the mining company. The second will be the statement made to the local news and general public. Will show how the organization plans to ensure how the statements are not misinterpreted. The first statement should be made to families and staff in a face to face setting so that the families can see the concern and worry that the company has for all the miners that are directly involves and those that are indirectly involved. The statement should be face to face so that there is a chance to explain what is known and what is in the planning stages the rectify the situation and free the trapped miners. The statement will also inform all that are impacted by the incident of the different channels that are going to be in place or are already in place to help all that are impacted to get the help that they are going to need. The statement would also detail the latest plan to get the trapped miners out of the mine. It would also include the locations of where the mines were working and where the closest safety point where food, water, and fresh air is located...

Words: 777 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Chilean Copper Mine Collapse BCOM/275   Disaster Strikes a Chilean Mine On August 5, 2010, employees of Minera San Esteban Primera woke up, stretched out, bathed, ate breakfast, and walked around their assuredly modest homes. They said their casual goodbyes to family as they headed off to yet another dark day at work deep in the San Jose copper mine in northern Chile. Little did they know it would be the last time for nearly two months they would see the light of day. These same blessings of life they most likely took for granted earlier that day - to be able to stretch out, to bathe, to eat, and to walk around in the comfort of their own homes - would be taken from them unexpectedly later that same day. Some time around the miners' lunch time on August 5, 2010, the upper galleries of the private copper mine collapsed trapping the miners. Many on the outside feared the worst. After all, when the collapse occurred the miners should have been in or near the hazard zone on their way out for their lunch break. Furthermore, with limited necessities such as food, water, and oxygen it was unknown whether the miners could have survived. "Liliana Ramirez, the wife of one of the oldest minders trapped, said she had faith all along that they were still alive and that she knew that her husband would never let his fellow workers perish" (Hughes, 2010). Families of the missing miners, like Liliana Ramirez, started gathering and camping out at the mine's surface since...

Words: 1203 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse” Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse” John B. Lopez III BCOM/275 October 24, 2011 Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse” On August 5, 2010, in San José, Chilea, a small copper operation owned by Minera San Esteban Primera, suffered a cave-in leaving 33 workers trapped underground. While the incident ultimately left the workers all alive in the end it raised many eyebrows as to the safety oversight the local government has over companies and also the safety practices of the company it’s self. Rescue workers drilled holes in an attempt to locate the miners, but there was no official confirmation whether they would be alive after four days with limited food, water and oxygen. In the form of communication, this was a grave mistake by the company. Anytime a company experiences a tragic accident where loved ones lives are at stake there must be a feeling of control and order displayed by the company. This can often times be accomplished by the director of the rescue operation and owner of the company addressing the families of the workers in danger during a live press conference. During the conference the company should first proclaim that workers are all safe and alive if that is the case. That will put the families at ease and distress the situation. Next, explain what happen and why. Tell everyone...

Words: 830 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse Week 4 BCOM/275 – Business Communications and Critical Thinking October 18, 2011 Over 30 Workers trapped after Chilean mine collapse. Draft 1. To all family members as per company protocol, the main point of communication to inform of the progress done to the rescue of “the 33”. It has been a long and stressful journey, not possessing enough resources has directed the company to find other ways to proceed to the rescue including considering all kinds of safety factors, to make sure once the trapped mine workers resurface, every one of them will be in the best conditions to rejoined the work, family and everyday activities in their lives as if the mine collapse had never happened. The company understands the family concerns and would like to address them one by one. Because would be a hard task to accomplish, we will try to sum up most of the important information for the rescue plans for 2010 Copiapó mining accident. Company has implemented three plans to rescue the workers which involve an Australian built strata 950 model raise borer type drilling rig, a Schramm Incorporated. T130XXD air core drill owned by Geotec S.A., and a powerful Canadian Built RIG-421 oil drilling rig operated by Calgary – based Precision drilling Corporation. Information for drilling operations will also be provided in detail to employees. The rescue plans crew had developed a way to rescue the miners one by one...

Words: 850 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Over 30 Worker Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...Abstract On August 5, 2010, a cave in occurred at a copper mining company owned by Minera San Esteban Primera in northern Chile, which trapped 33 workers for two months (Weik 2010). The workers were trapped 2300 feet underground (Wikipedia, 2014). The owners of the company had to make sure the public received the correct information. They were not only dealing with the people of Chile but people from all around the world. Their first priority was talking with the family of trapped victims; second was the employee of the company; third the media; fourth what channel of communication will be used to notify families and employees. Minera San Esteban Primera had to make sure the message was accurate and based on details to insure that the message was received as intended. What are some considerations to remember given the different roles and people in the audience? In order for Minera San Esteban Primera to be effective when meeting with their audience (family member, employee and the media), they must take in consideration the demographic make-up (gender, life style, religion, age, and education), needs, and hopes (money, rescue plan, the cause of the cave in, a point of contact) of the people. What would be the potential needs of the families of the miners in receiving a message about this incident? The company must meet with the families face-to-face to reassure them that they are doing everything in their power to rescue their family members. Some...

Words: 818 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

“over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

...The camera pans out from the crying Native American Indian you see why he’s upset there’s trash everywhere. Though we have made changes on trying to clean up cities and towns it still has a long way to go. The United States has a growing problem with resource consumption, Cities and towns are having problems with handling large capacities of waste. Hazardous waste and construction waste has grown in this dilemma also. With the methane emissions increasing as well hazardous liquids contamination seeping out of the landfills more computers means more plastic this causes your city and town landfill tax to increase to keep these problems under control. According to the U.S census bureau say there are 309,941,768 people in the us, a growth of 3.3 million people a year. With the average 4 person house hold accumulating 1 ton of waste per year, this could be a very serious problem for the ecosystem and the earth as well. The fact that pollution is on our highways, in our lakes and streams at the beaches and even even on top of Mt Everest is that litter effects both living and nonliving it has no prejudice. Litter effects use as a society in a lot of ways. Litter can be a safety hazard on the road from a survey done by green eco services(2009) twenty five thousand car accidents happen every year because of litter related conditions on the highway which in turn effects insurance companies to raise their premiums. Forty eight percent of Americas admit to littering...

Words: 2024 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Article Found in the Electronic Reserve Readings

...The Treatments of ADHD Tara Davis Wilmington University Introduction One of the most common disorders amongst children is ADHD. ADHD is defined as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Some believe the treatment of the disorder can be related to ethnicity (Jones, Epstein, Hinshaw, 2010). In some cases the teachers agree with medical treatment (Cornell-Swanson, Frankenburger, Ley, 2007). There are many medications that are given to children with ADHD as a stimulant. Although, they have the medicine to help them, are non-medical treatments just as effective? Studies have shown the effects of medical treatments, but the non-medical treatments have not received equal tending (Trout, Ortiz, Reid, 2007). This research paper will prove the effectiveness of nonmedical treatments. Many studies show the effectiveness of medical stimulants in children with ADHD. Children are either put on Adderall, Concerta, Deredrine, and Ritalin just to name a few. These medicines all help in managing the behavior in children with ADHD. When children are diagnosed with this disorder, they have to undergo a number of treatments to help them cope. Some children respond very well to the stimulant medications as long as the medicine continued, while other children are not so responsive and another form of treatment or intervention must take place (Cornell-Swanson, Frankenburger, Ley, 2007). There are many people who believe that nonmedical treatment is not effective on children...

Words: 731 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Knowing Your Audience

... Communicating effectively in a time of crisis is crucial to informing every body of the incident and contributes to a successful outcome of an already stressful event. The Chilean copper mine collapse is a classic example of an incident requiring multiple levels of communication, particularly to the families of the miners and the company’s employees. To start with, developing the communication requires a consideration for the people in the audience and their respective roles as either family members or employees. Ensuring they understand the gravity of the situation and addressing the needs of both parties through communication is challenging. The key to answering the challenge is the preparation prior to message delivery and understanding the goal of the communication will ensure proper receipt of the intended communication. Validation of the audience receiving the message is last part of ensuring the communication was effective. The method of accomplishing this validation is pursuing feedback from the miner‘s family members and the company’s employees. Completing this last piece of the communication process will ensure effective communication took place between the messenger and receiver. First, the most important consideration in delivering this message to the Chilean miner’s families and company’s employees would be to accept responsibility, be transparent in communication, and openly convey expectations on the outcome of the incident (Crenshaw...

Words: 837 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Chilean Cooper

...This disaster in the Chilean copper mine, a disastrous downfall in one of the shafts of the mine has left 33 miners trapped 310 meters below the ground. The outcomes of the company and their reaction to the disaster would eventually define how the world, their audience, would see them. It turns out to be very crucial that the spokesperson of the company who issues updates and information to the public is careful and sensitive to the families. The audience the company would be reporting to would be made up of the news correspondence, the victim’s families, and the media. Not only would the company spokesperson have to keep the reputation and point of view of the mining company in one piece, they would have to issue specific and straightforward information that would not always be in the greatest interest of the company’s position. All though in the beginning the company may not have a great extent of information, it’s necessary for them to inform the families with as much information as soon as possible. This would consist of any information as to what is taking place in the mine while the miners are still trapped. When communicating we need to have some emotion and sympathy than just the facts of what is going on inside the mine. With all the families wanting to be inform that everything is okay and everyone is doing his or her best to get the situation under control. When speaking to any type of media they are concerned only about the facts. When a company needs to pass information...

Words: 687 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Chilean Mine Collapse

...Chilean Mine Collapse Student BCOM/275 July 7, 2012 Chilean Mine Collapse In the article that was required for our research, “Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse” (Weik, 2010), it stated that on August 5, 2010 the San Jose mine collaped trapping approximtely 30 workers. It also stated that rescuers where attempting to locate workers in order to drill to provide those trapped with food, water and oxygen, however rescuers were halted due to a second cave-in. The news article also indicated that prior to the collape, there was a fatal accident in 2007 which closed the mine, however, opened later that year. The additional articles that was researched for the Chilean mine collapse also did not shed any additional light on the trapped miner, however reads and most likely understood that the owner of the mine is trying to make excuses, such as “Major mining accidents are uncommon in Chile, the world’s top cooper producer” (Authur, 2010) and “Chile is the world’s top copper producer, but serious mining accidents are uncommon in an industry closely monitored by authorities” (Soto, 2010). These articles were not successful in sending the message because it leaves the question “Why”? Communication is important regardless of the method used; however the audience is to be considered when using any type of communication method whether it is preparing a news article or an office memo to be distributed. Some considerations to be given the different roles and...

Words: 1449 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Knowing Your Audience and Communication Bcomms/275

...Communication BCOMMS/275 The article Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse by Weik, 2010 gave a poor accounting of the issue at hand. The flow of the article was poor, and the communication itself offered the copper miner families and employees of the company little information and no clear next steps. During times of emergency, clear and concise communications are critical. Companies should have communication plans in place to act swiftly and effectively in emergency situations. Crisis plans should be developed, ready for use when necessary. It is during these times that companies do not have the luxury to pour through materials and follow long procedures to act on the matter at hand (Woods, 2006) Effective communication is essential in the response and recovery phases of emergency management. It helps with decision making, assists in selecting from the various forms of communication, and identifies gaps in notification and response communications. Employers should communicate with their employees so they can respond in an accurate, professional, and timely manner. They need to know what to do, what steps need to be taken, and how to prioritize key functions (Woods, 2006) In the instance of the Chilean mine collapse, when disaster struck, both the family members of the miners and the employees of the company should have be told of the...

Words: 1244 - Pages: 5