TEMA Peru’s team is experienced in managing jobs in difficult access locations, which complicate both logistics and security management.

Projects for the recovery and preservation of the natural environment sometimes involve working in remote locations, which complicates logistics and service safety. The TEMA Peru team is accustomed to these scenarios, with the jungle as the protagonist, and their extensive experience has allowed them to develop a very complete and rigorous HSE (Health, Safety & Environment) management system that is tested and improved with each new experience.

The safety of all personnel deployed on a project of this type is an absolute priority for TEMA’s management, a policy that has enabled us to strengthen this area and focus our efforts on prevention.

“If you don’t have the right personnel, they can put their lives and the lives of their colleagues at risk.”

A key element for the proper functioning of these projects is the selection of the human team, as Juan Carlos Cáceres, safety, occupational health and environment supervisor at TEMA Peru, explains: “The people assigned must be able to manage their emotions in the face of the adversities of an inhospitable environment, which can generate frustration and fatigue even for the most experienced. To this end, several specific instruction and training sessions are held, both theoretical and practical, focused on learning about the identified hazards and how to deal with them. It is also important that the personnel sent to the field are in good health and in optimum physical condition. This aptitude is validated by means of an Occupational Medical Examination (EMO) adapted to the functions to be performed, in addition to a strict control of the necessary vaccinations. In the words of Juan Carlos Cáceres: “If you don’t have the right personnel, they can put their lives and those of their colleagues at risk”.

The preliminary work includes the preparation of the IPER (Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment), which includes all possible scenarios during the activities to be carried out, as well as the necessary control measures to avoid them. This document is nourished by the experiences of the team members and is permanently open to change, depending on the evolution of the circumstances surrounding the project and the day to day in the field.

A day’s work in the jungle

The list of dangers is usually long and varied, ranging from the state of the terrain and the weather in the area to the animals that may be encountered or relations with the native communities. All this during long days, with complex transfers and a duration that, in some cases, can last several weeks.

After the intense preparation to face a project of these characteristics, the day arrives to leave for the reality of the work. It usually begins with a flight from the capital, followed by a road trip of about eight hours and a third by river. When the local communities authorize the entry, the mobile camp is set up in the nearest town to the site of action, which will vary in location depending on the evaluations and samplings that are carried out.

Travel includes air, land and river travel and treks of several hours.

“The day begins with the sounds of nocturnal animals in the background as the cook, on his feet since 4:30 a.m., prepares breakfast. It’s a good idea to be quick, as the toilets are used on a first-come, first-served basis. Breakfast is served at 5:30 a.m.,” says Juan Carlos Cáceres. After the mandatory safety briefing, all the material is prepared for the daily transfer, always with proper supervision to avoid risks. “We also carry out breathalyzer tests to avoid the consumption of drinks common among the local population that clash with the company’s zero alcohol policy,” remarks Cáceres.

During the trek on foot, the local collaborators advance at the front, clearing the trail with machetes, paying special attention to the dangers that may appear: sharp surfaces or objects, slippery or unstable terrain, rock slides, falling trees, large panels of wasps, poisonous spiders, the isula ant and a long etcetera of possible undesirable or undesirable events. Tiredness plays an important role here, as Cáceres explains: “At the beginning we are all in good spirits, alert in every direction at the slightest noise or movement, but as the hours of hiking progress the body resists moving forward and stops paying attention to where the feet are placed”. Hydration and rest are mandatory tasks. From intense heat to rain and vice versa, weather conditions have their own prevention techniques and corresponding uniform.

Tiredness increases the chances of having an accident. It is important to rest and hydrate.

Activities and transfers usually involve river transport, which requires specific measures, such as ensuring that team members know how to swim.

After the jungle experience, the day’s Environmental Impact Assessment begins with the first planned sampling of the day. “The strategy is always to move forward and to comply as much as possible with what was planned in the mornings to avoid returning to the camp without daylight, which is why it is important to leave early,” argues the safety supervisor.

The day ends not only when you get your evaluations and samples, but also when you are back at camp. After dinner, the staff prepares the materials again, checks the tools, changes the deteriorated PPE and makes the reports. In a cyclical process, Cáceres says, “at the end of the day, you again hear the sounds of nocturnal animals in the background, clouded by the work of the cook, who is finishing his activities by washing the utensils”. Rest is then the most important activity.

From the safety point of view, in this type of project nothing is possible without teamwork, communication must be checked a thousand times and the smallest detail makes the difference to prevent accidents.