We just saw Antamina halt operations again yesterday after another fatality at Yanacancha. As an inspector, I’ll tell you straight: these reactive shutdowns are becoming a PR shield rather than a real solution.

We’re the world’s third-largest copper producer, yet we’re seeing a pattern of 'stop, investigate, restart' that clearly isn't fixing the underlying mechanical or procedural gaps. Last year output dropped 9% for the same reason. If the shareholders—BHP, Glencore, and the rest—actually cared about the men on the ground, they’d stop focusing on the optics of a temporary closure and start enforcing the 'Volvamos a lo esencial' protocols Sernageomin is pushing.

My take? The industry is getting soft on discipline but heavy on bureaucracy. We need less paperwork and more rigorous verification of critical barriers—like machinery maintenance and slope stability—before the shift starts. If you can't prove a barrier is functional in five minutes, you shouldn't be operating. Period. Halting production after a brother is already gone is a failure of engineering management, not a safety 'precaution.'