🚨 SOP-MIN-007: Emergency Response and Evacuation

Rule zero: Raise the alarm first, then help. Account for every person.

Field	Detail
Company / site	Ridgeline Copper Operations (fictional sample company)
Document No.	SOP-MIN-007
Revision	1.0 (approved)
Effective	2026-10-06
Next review due	2027-10-06 (or after any incident or change)
Applies to	All personnel, contractors and visitors, on site at any time
Owner	Emergency Response Coordinator
Approved by	Mine Manager and Site Safety Manager

1. Purpose

To make sure everyone knows how to raise the alarm, evacuate, and get help quickly during fires, injuries, ground failures, explosions, gas releases and other emergencies.

2. Scope

All site emergencies, surface and underground. Each emergency type has its own response card.

3. Roles and responsibilities

Role	Responsibilities
Incident Controller	Takes command, sets priorities, decides on evacuation.
Emergency response team	Trained to fight fires, rescue and give first aid.
Control room	Receives the alarm, calls the team and records the log.
Wardens	Lead evacuation and count people at the muster point.
Everyone	Raise the alarm, follow instructions and report to the muster point.

4. Hazards and controls

Hazard	Control
Fire and explosion	Detection, suppression, extinguishers, hot work permits, fire drills
Injury or illness	First aid, trained responders, medical evacuation plan
Underground entrapment	Refuge chambers, self-rescuers, tracking, escape routes
Environmental release	Spill kits, containment, notification procedure

5. Site-specific parameters

Parameter	Value at Ridgeline Copper Mine
Emergency numbers	Radio Ch 9 (monitored 24/7) or phone ext 111, outside line +00 000 000 111
Alarms	Continuous siren: evacuate. Intermittent siren: fire alert. Check Ch 9 for the type
Muster points	MP1 Main Gate, MP2 Concentrator car park, MP3 Alpha Pit shelter
Emergency response team	12 members per rotation, on call 24/7; fire truck and ambulance based at the Concentrator
Nearest hospital	Regional hospital, 45 minutes by road; air evacuation by arrangement
Underground	2 refuge chambers, each with 12 hours of air; self-rescuers carried by everyone
Drills	Fire drill every 6 months, full evacuation drill every 12 months, mine rescue drill every 12 months

6. Procedure

Raise the alarm

Call the emergency channel or number and state: what, where, how many people, any danger.
Activate the alarm if there is a fire or major risk.
Do not put yourself at risk.

Respond

Control room calls the emergency response team and the Incident Controller.
Incident Controller assesses, sets the exclusion area and requests outside help if needed.
Responders act within their training. Isolate energy and fuel where safe.

Evacuate

On the evacuation signal, stop work, make equipment safe and leave by the nearest safe route.
Go to the designated muster point and report to the warden.
Wardens count and report missing persons to the Incident Controller.

Recovery

Incident Controller declares the emergency over and releases the area.
Preserve the scene for investigation. Debrief and record lessons learned.

7. Stop-work triggers

Stop the job, make the area safe and call the supervisor if any of these happen:

Fire, explosion, gas alarm or ground failure
A person is missing or trapped
Loss of communications or ventilation underground

8. Emergency response

This section is the procedure above. Keep the emergency numbers posted in every work area.
Run a drill for each emergency type at least yearly.

9. Records

Emergency log and timeline
Drill and training records
Equipment inspection (extinguishers, refuges, rescue gear)

10. Related documents

Incident reporting and investigation (SOP-MIN-010)
Confined space entry (SOP-MIN-004)
Job hazard assessment (JHA) template
Incident reporting and investigation SOP (SOP-MIN-010)
Applicable regulations for your jurisdiction, for example MSHA 30 CFR Parts 56 and 57 in the United States

Controlled document. The current version lives in this library. Printed copies are uncontrolled: check the revision before you use one. Questions or improvements go to the document owner.

11. Revision history

Rev	Date	Author	Change
1.0	2026-10-06	Site HSE department	First issue, approved for use

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