KGHM is building a "Medical and Altitude Training Centre" for the rescuers of the KGHM Mine-Smelter Rescue Unit (MSRU)

Safety first - KGHM begins construction of a "Medical and Altitude Training Centre" for rescuers from the Mine-Smelter Rescue Unit in Sobin. From the centre and workshops, among others: employees of other KGHM branches and external companies performing such tasks on the premises of the copper company will also benefit from the scope of safe work at heights.

The investment is to be ready in September 2024. The projected cost of building the Training Centre is PLN 8 million.

– Thanks to the centre, our rescuers will have access to state-of-the-art training rooms that will help them in safety-related activities. We will also offer specialised medical training, including for our staff. So as to respond quickly and effectively to potential threats. This will be a place to improve our skills, said Tomasz Zdzikot, president of the management board of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., during the opening of the construction site.

Sebastian Rakowiecki, deputy director of the Mine and Smelter Rescue Unit, added that "the new centre will complement the unit's training infrastructure and strengthen it in terms of training, making its operation independent of, among other things, weather factors".

The MSRU Training Centre will be equipped with a hall for practical exercises, lecture theatres, sanitary rooms and storage facilities for the necessary equipment. The hall will feature ladders equipped with at least two different fixed belay systems, a flat roof and a sloping roof, and a truss structure to teach the principles of movement with double safety lines. Also planned are piers and walkways placed at a minimum height of 7 metres.

The construction of the centre includes training for the specialist rescue service for work using mountaineering techniques, but also for the thousands of KGHM employees who supervise or directly perform work at height.

The centre will strengthen the competencies of KGHM's staff in terms of the problems of working at height and in confined spaces. The centre will gather comprehensive knowledge about the equipment used in the company, training, examinations and specialist consulting. In the future, the possibility of implementing innovative training also for companies and organizations outside KGHM is being considered.

This is yet another investment being made in the MSRU branch this year. A new control room and administration building were opened in Sobin in June. The facility is equipped with top-quality communication systems and modern IT systems. The building was constructed using modern technology and is energy efficient - it uses energy from the sun thanks to a photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the building.

The new control room is unique not only in terms of equipment. For the first time in its history, KGHM offers the opportunity to conduct a rescue or evacuation operation directly from Sobin. In the event of any incidents at the KGHM divisions, the MSRU dispatchers receive information and immediately take appropriate action.

The event was attended by Senator Dorota Czudowska and MP Ewa Szymańska.