Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Case Study
Chilean Copper Mine Collapse
Sabrina Green
BCOM/275
Week 4
Celeste Bajorek
Chilean Copper Mine Collapse On Thursday, August 5, 2010, the collapse of one of the shafts in the Chilean copper mine left 33 workers trapped approximately 300 meters underground. Rescue efforts began at once, but just two days later another collapse in the mine halted the efforts of the rescue crews for many hours (Weil, 2010). With such a devastating situation, the company should take great care in how the world found out about the tragedy. If not done properly then the companies audience, the world, would view the company in a worse light than if they had correctly released the information. The company would be reporting …show more content…
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. When speaking to any media, they are concerned only about the facts. They do not care about emotions or sympathy of the friends or family. With all the families wanting to be informed that everything is okay and everyone is doing his or her best to get the situation under control. There are two ways in which the company would be releasing information. The first would be to families of the workers, and the second would be to the other employees and then to the press. The representatives chosen by the company to handle these releases will have to take great care in how it is done to keep the reputation of the company intact, while making sure that all information is truthful and accurate. This tragedy affected many people. Not only did the collapse affect the 33 miners that were in the mine, it also affected the families of those workers. The families were in pain while they waited to hear if their loved ones would make it out alive. The responsibility lies with mining company to make sure the family member are aware of everything that is happening and what is being done to get their loved ones rescued out of the mines safely. The communication process is more important than anything being told. The main people in the audience are the miners’ families and their co-workers.
The right tone is very important and the right words to use when communicating the information. The family members are very close to the miners, and they will tend to be emotional. The employees will also be upset because if it were under different circumstances it could have been them trapped in the mine.
The potential needs of the families would require more details about the accident that occurred to their relatives while at work. The families will need to know the exact time the incident took place, persons trapped in the mine, rescue measures being taken to save the miners and what is being done to help them as they wait to be saved. Update’s from time to time on the development of the rescue process is very important. How the families gain access to the miners upon rescue and above all they will need to be assured that all necessary procedures are being taken to ensure the miners are rescued safe and sound.
Since the employees are familiar with the procedures of the mine, the communication will have to be brief and done formally. They will need to be a quick update of the incident and what the company is doing to rescue them, and they will also need to be assured that the other mines are not at risk of collapsing when they resume mining (Bajak, …show more content…
2010). Before making the communication release, it is best to consider the best channel for communication the message to both audiences. For the families, it is best done through the media more precise television for the sake of the family members who are likely to be apart and may become intense if they were to come face to face with the persons in charge in the mine. For the employees, it is best done on a face-to-face basis because they would be in a better position to understand the circumstances under which their colleagues were trapped. After the message has been delivered, the right course of action is to ask the audience to seek clarity where they have doubt or where they need more information. Different audiences need to be communicated to in the best way possible, what might be appropriate to one audience might not necessarily be appropriate for another. The families need more detail on the occurrence of the incident and the safety of their relatives. The employees, on the other hand, will also be concerned with the safety of their colleagues, but they will also want assurance about their own safety while working in the mines in the future.
REFERENCES
Weik, J. (2010). Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse. Metal Bulletin Daily, (224), 65. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Bajak, F. (2010, Oct 14). As Chile celebrates mine’s future in question, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, pp. n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/758202447?accountid=45049
Communication to the families (Face-to-Face)
We regret to inform you that your family member is among 33 workers currently trapped due to the cave-in.
We want you to know that as we speak, we have rescue workers on site doing everything possible to bring every worker to safety as soon as possible. We will keep you informed as new information develops.
The rescue operations are estimated to take some time and the families are encouraged to be patient. In the mean time plans are under way to ensure that as soon as the miners are located, food supplies, water and medicine will be sent to them as they wait to be rescued.
I urge you and family member to take heart as we are taking the necessary provisions to ensure that the miners come out safe and sound. We believe that the miners will be located within a realistic time period and upon rescue, family member will be allowed to see their relatives as they receive treatment at the state hospital.
Please note that we will keep in touch from time to time and any questions should be forwarded to our disaster management team who will be available to answer all your questions. If you need more information please call 000000000.
Communication to the company (via
meeting) We have just been informed of a cave-in trapping 33 miners at one of our Northern Chilean copper mining location. Rescuers are drilling holes to try and locate the workers. But for now there has been no verification as to whether the 33 miners have survived the cave-in. They are approximately 300 meters down and there is limited food, oxygen and water. So rescuers are working around the clock. We have also learned that during the rescue there was a second cave-in Saturday causing a delay in rescue efforts for several hours.
We ask that you reframe from sharing any information with anyone outside the company, especially the media. It is important that we gather all the facts and keep the family members informed prior to any information being leaked to the media. There will be a follow up email informing everyone of new information as it is received.
Sabrina Green
BCOM/275
Week 4
Celeste Bajorek
Chilean Copper Mine Collapse On Thursday, August 5, 2010, the collapse of one of the shafts in the Chilean copper mine left 33 workers trapped approximately 300 meters underground. Rescue efforts began at once, but just two days later another collapse in the mine halted the efforts of the rescue crews for many hours (Weil, 2010). With such a devastating situation, the company should take great care in how the world found out about the tragedy. If not done properly then the companies audience, the world, would view the company in a worse light than if they had correctly released the information. The company would be reporting …show more content…
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. When speaking to any media, they are concerned only about the facts. They do not care about emotions or sympathy of the friends or family. With all the families wanting to be informed that everything is okay and everyone is doing his or her best to get the situation under control. There are two ways in which the company would be releasing information. The first would be to families of the workers, and the second would be to the other employees and then to the press. The representatives chosen by the company to handle these releases will have to take great care in how it is done to keep the reputation of the company intact, while making sure that all information is truthful and accurate. This tragedy affected many people. Not only did the collapse affect the 33 miners that were in the mine, it also affected the families of those workers. The families were in pain while they waited to hear if their loved ones would make it out alive. The responsibility lies with mining company to make sure the family member are aware of everything that is happening and what is being done to get their loved ones rescued out of the mines safely. The communication process is more important than anything being told. The main people in the audience are the miners’ families and their co-workers.
The right tone is very important and the right words to use when communicating the information. The family members are very close to the miners, and they will tend to be emotional. The employees will also be upset because if it were under different circumstances it could have been them trapped in the mine.
The potential needs of the families would require more details about the accident that occurred to their relatives while at work. The families will need to know the exact time the incident took place, persons trapped in the mine, rescue measures being taken to save the miners and what is being done to help them as they wait to be saved. Update’s from time to time on the development of the rescue process is very important. How the families gain access to the miners upon rescue and above all they will need to be assured that all necessary procedures are being taken to ensure the miners are rescued safe and sound.
Since the employees are familiar with the procedures of the mine, the communication will have to be brief and done formally. They will need to be a quick update of the incident and what the company is doing to rescue them, and they will also need to be assured that the other mines are not at risk of collapsing when they resume mining (Bajak, …show more content…
2010). Before making the communication release, it is best to consider the best channel for communication the message to both audiences. For the families, it is best done through the media more precise television for the sake of the family members who are likely to be apart and may become intense if they were to come face to face with the persons in charge in the mine. For the employees, it is best done on a face-to-face basis because they would be in a better position to understand the circumstances under which their colleagues were trapped. After the message has been delivered, the right course of action is to ask the audience to seek clarity where they have doubt or where they need more information. Different audiences need to be communicated to in the best way possible, what might be appropriate to one audience might not necessarily be appropriate for another. The families need more detail on the occurrence of the incident and the safety of their relatives. The employees, on the other hand, will also be concerned with the safety of their colleagues, but they will also want assurance about their own safety while working in the mines in the future.
REFERENCES
Weik, J. (2010). Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse. Metal Bulletin Daily, (224), 65. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Bajak, F. (2010, Oct 14). As Chile celebrates mine’s future in question, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, pp. n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/758202447?accountid=45049
Communication to the families (Face-to-Face)
We regret to inform you that your family member is among 33 workers currently trapped due to the cave-in.
We want you to know that as we speak, we have rescue workers on site doing everything possible to bring every worker to safety as soon as possible. We will keep you informed as new information develops.
The rescue operations are estimated to take some time and the families are encouraged to be patient. In the mean time plans are under way to ensure that as soon as the miners are located, food supplies, water and medicine will be sent to them as they wait to be rescued.
I urge you and family member to take heart as we are taking the necessary provisions to ensure that the miners come out safe and sound. We believe that the miners will be located within a realistic time period and upon rescue, family member will be allowed to see their relatives as they receive treatment at the state hospital.
Please note that we will keep in touch from time to time and any questions should be forwarded to our disaster management team who will be available to answer all your questions. If you need more information please call 000000000.
Communication to the company (via
meeting) We have just been informed of a cave-in trapping 33 miners at one of our Northern Chilean copper mining location. Rescuers are drilling holes to try and locate the workers. But for now there has been no verification as to whether the 33 miners have survived the cave-in. They are approximately 300 meters down and there is limited food, oxygen and water. So rescuers are working around the clock. We have also learned that during the rescue there was a second cave-in Saturday causing a delay in rescue efforts for several hours.
We ask that you reframe from sharing any information with anyone outside the company, especially the media. It is important that we gather all the facts and keep the family members informed prior to any information being leaked to the media. There will be a follow up email informing everyone of new information as it is received.