Newcrest employees get first aid, firefighting training

THIRTEEN employees of Newcrest Lihir operation in Namatanai, New Ireland, have just completed a course in first aid and firefighting.
Geologist Ephraim Malana said the 13 locals were now able to help employees, especially those in Lihir’s Ore Body Knowledge (OBK) team, during emergencies in field operations.
“Knowing how to apply basic first aid is a requirement for us when working in remote sites,” he said.
“We work with mostly our local casuals at remote sites. Therefore we had to familiarise them with basic information on how to attend to injuries such as a broken limb, or a cut.
“They also know how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for anyone who collapses.
“The emergency response team is a call away but might not get to us in remote sites immediately. So providing this awareness and information for casuals is the best way forward for us.
“The reason why we trained them on how to use fire extinguishers is because we use gas for cooking and fuel for our generator during field operations. In the event that there is a fire, they can help us put out the fire.”
OBK superintendent Fiona Karaut congratulated the 13 for doing the course.