Effective Critical Risk Management in Welding Operations for Mining: A Case Study on Incident Reduction

The main objective of the research was to manage the critical risks to reduce incidents and accidents in the welding area of a mining contractor company for loading, hauling and transportation of minerals. The methodology used was quantitative and analytical-synthetic approach, with a non-experimental and descriptive design. The results obtained indicated that there were a total of 5 incidents and accidents in 2021 and 2022, while in 2023 it was reduced to 3, with the activity with the most incidents being: auxiliary welding work (4 incidents), followed by auxiliary mechanical work (3 incidents). The risk analysis revealed that 50% of the incidents had a low risk level, 40% high risk and only 10% medium risk. Spearman correlation analysis indicated a perfect correlation (ρ=1.00) between activities and associated risk levels. The critical controls implemented produced a 40% reduction in incidents and accidents, demonstrating their effectiveness in risk reduction. Finally, it was concluded that through the t-student statistical analysis showed a p-value of 0.000023, indicating that the implemented interventions were effective in reducing the frequency of incidents and accidents.