Operating with respect for the land
A culture of safety
Duz Cho construction was involved in many aspects of the construction work at the Mount Milligan Site. — Photo courtesy Duz Cho Construction
Extensive infrastructure, road building and construction work has been the scope of work for Duz Cho Construction over its three years of working on the Mount Milligan mine site northwest of Prince George. The company, owned by the McLeod Lake Indian Band, has extensive experience in heavy civil construction and environmental services.
Duz Cho Construction initially started with the primary road development and infrastructure at the site before moving into the main scope of its work on the project—the construction of the tailings storage facility.
The company began work on the Rainbow Forest Service Route, which provides access to the mine site from Fort St. James. The process involved road reconstruction and three new bridge installations along the 26-kilometre access route. Much of the work was carried out around protected fish-bearing streams.
Experienced in excavation, construction, roadwork and other industrial project development, Duz Cho has a profound understanding of rugged terrain, atypical building sites and working in sensitive environmental areas.
“We pride ourselves on having a great deal of experience with sensitive ecological systems, and working in and around streams and bridges,” said Chris Leatherdale, project manager for Duz Cho. “We represent the McLeod Lake First Nations, so we have an inherent interest in preserving these areas for our Nation.”
Work on the tailings facility involves an earthen dam structure eight kilometres long, and within that scope Duz Cho was commissioned to dig the core trench—the impermeable lens that retains the water inside the 700-hectare tailings facility, backfilled with a clay type of material to hold the water.
“Over the lifecycle of the mine, the earth structure will include 1.2 billion cubic metres of earth,” said Leatherdale.
Duz Cho supported a crew of 120 people and on average 65 pieces of equipment at any given time on the project.
At the mine site, high groundwater levels required a concentrated labour force for dewatering—and performing the work year round in all seasons and climatic conditions can be challenging, said Leatherdale.
“We worked in heavy snowfalls—in excess of 10 feet—and through extreme cold periods and extended wet periods,” he said. “It’s an ongoing challenge to provide earth-moving services to the mine, given any weather event.”
A culture of safety
The mine’s remote location presented the challenge of attracting an experienced workforce that understands the culture of a mine site as it relates to strict safety regulations.
“To participate with in excess of 1,000 workers requires much more of a committed approach and level of governance, when it comes to the regulation and rules required to keep that many people working orderly,” said Leatherdale.
The safety expectations are much higher than you would find in other industries, Leatherdale said.
“Although we are here to produce a product, it’s not at the cost of anyone’s personal safety,” he said. “It’s important that people doing the work do it correctly and take their time. We were able to successfully train the local demographic to adopt the safety culture. We are only as good as our workers.”
Duz Cho recently received a letter of recommendation and accolades from AMEC/ Fluor for its high-level safety program and project achievements.
The Mount Milligan Mine is slated to open in July 2013, but Duz Cho Construction will be there for two years beyond to continue the work on the tailings facility.
Duz Cho’s expertise extends well beyond mining to oil and gas and alternative energy facilities—it has completed substantial work in wind-power generation in the Peace Region, including the Dokie Wind and Quality Wind projects.
