“Our main objective is to capture gases, decontaminate and achieve sustainable copper production,” he says.

What is your job about?

Day after day, our goal is to capture as much gas as possible, which we transform into raw material such as sulfuric acid, which is then sold.

We began the day with performance dialogues with all the Foundry's Operations managers, to reinforce safety issues and the progress of the production compliance program, information that is transmitted to the different areas.

Our unit has three specific areas and the most important thing is always the review of the ART (Workplace Risk Analysis) of each worker. Then, we do the general coordination in the Foundry and also the specific tasks, to maintain the operational continuity of the plant.

There are approximately twelve people per group, distributed across the three floors. I lead group four. Although it is a single unit, the processes have different complexities.

What do you like most about your job?

Although it is a job that sounds risky just by hearing the name of the Acid Plant, I like being able to provide operational continuity and be part of a process that, in general, is very entertaining and significant in providing continuity to copper production in a sustainable manner, without contamination.

And coordinating people, having those conversations day after day, is something that motivates.

How long have you been in the Division?

I have been here for 21 years. I started doing my internship at the mine. I am an automotive mechanic and then I studied industrial engineering. I applied to El Teniente because at that time everyone wanted to get in. It was an honor to work at Codelco and it still is today. I finished my internship and did the process. There I found out that I would come to work at the Foundry, specifically in the converters area.

I was there for six months, I went through my evaluation process and I was given a permanent contract. I started directly at the Acid Plant, which was new at the time, so it was very motivating, because it was a different process that caused a sensation at that time, when sustainability was already gaining strength in operations. That's how I developed my career as a field operator, then an expert operator and what I do now, Head of Operations.