What is your job about?

My job is to get the best performance from the grinding process, according to the standards that are required of us, taking care of the environment and people, controlling the indicators to obtain the highest possible production in the grinding, with all the mineral that comes from the crushing belts. I do the same in the flotation and recovery process.

I also have to be alert for any problems such as bottlenecks, to maintain the continuity of the processes, and to notify the areas. We also control the reagents used in the processes, the pumps and cyclones, and we monitor the cleaning of the belts, so that there are no accidents. To do this, I have to coordinate with people from different areas: operations, maintenance, water resources.

We always say here that no goal justifies exposing ourselves to risks that are not properly controlled. Safety comes first, before production.

How did you come to El Teniente?

I remember it like it was yesterday. On October 18, 1988, I started at the Sewell Plant. I was part of that crew for a long time. Then I went to the workshops and we did the linings and pipe replacements. I worked with the people at the mills, flotation, and I was also in the crushing business at Sewell, as a mechanic, assembling and disassembling crushers and screens.

Over time I went to Colón, where I worked in industrial cleaning at the SAG 1, SAG 2, SX (Solvent Extraction), Milling, Flowering, Reagents plants… an endless number of plants! Until I moved to operations, where I remain to this day.

I started from the bottom and that's why I know the Division so well, all its nooks and crannies, although I feel like it was just yesterday that I joined.

Everything we do is to make Chile better and to ensure that people with fewer resources can have better conditions. Here we give everything for Chile and live the five values of Codelco.

How would you describe these more than 30 years in the Division?

For me it has meant growing a lot in knowledge, because I was lucky to be well prepared, I was with people who knew a lot and I absorbed all that knowledge to transfer it to the area, which I do to this day.

And my family has also been important over the years. My wife and my daughters have supported me a lot, because it is not easy, especially when we work shifts. They are a fundamental pillar, so I thank them for everything and tell them that I love them very much.

What safety message would you like to convey to the workers at El Teniente?

We should do our work in a calm manner, and no production goal or emergency justifies exposing ourselves to unnecessary risks or risks that are not properly controlled. That is why we have the Green Card, that is why we have the procedures and standards, to know when the conditions are not right and to do the work safely.

What does it mean to you to work at Codelco, a company that delivers its surpluses to all Chileans?

For me, it is a source of pride. In these 36 years that I have been here, I feel that I am growing and I am happy to know that what I do reaches the people who need it.