OSTRAVA (10 May 2013) – Karviná Mine that is employing more than 5 thousand employees was awarded the Zlatý Permon award in 2012 for its extraordinary achievements in the field of safety. Pavel Hadrava, General Mine Manager, received the statue of Permon from Ivo Pěgřímek, Chairman of the Czech Mining Authority. Permons are mining gnomes who according to legends should help the miners in their work and bring them luck.

“We have been rewarded for the work of all our employees. It is both pleasant and binding,” said Hadrava when taking the statue over.

No severe occupational injury or extraordinary event that would be subject to an obligation to notify the Czech Mining Authority bodies was reported last year.

Karviná Mine’s award confirms the positive consequences of the emphasis OKD management puts on work safety. Over the past five years, the company invested more than CZK 700 million in safety including, among others, on complete replacement of miners’ protective equipment and detectors starting with cap lamps via steel-toe boots up to indication and detection tools. The company puts great emphasis on employee awareness, training, prevention and motivation with competitions incentivizing the employees on complying with safety regulation at their own work sections. The frequency of injuries has dropped over the past seven yours by more than a half.

Vladislav Sobol

Spokesperson, OKD, a.s.

Cell phone:     725 595 417
E-mail:            vladislav.sobol@okd.cz