Health and safety | Our People

Safety is our number one Value

At Gold Fields Ghana, we are committed to protecting our people from injuries and occupational ill health. Safety remains our Number one Value and we continue to commit resources into making the workplace safe and healthy for employees. Our strategic vision is to achieve zero harm, in line with our declaration that “if we cannot mine safely, we will not mine”.

In 2020, we rolled out the Courageous Safety Leadership Programme (CSL) to empower every employee to speak out boldly about unsafe practices at the workplace without fear of being victimised. In addition to this, we continuously implement several safety awareness campaigns and initiatives, including:

TAKE 5 for Safety Campaign
Assertiveness Training
Injury-Free Days Challenge
Risk Observations
Mandatory Alcohol Checks
Heads of Department (HoDs) Walkabout
Near Miss and Hazard Reporting

Through these various initiatives, we have created a safety conscious workforce, where employees prioritise their safety and that of their work colleagues. Our safety statistics have improved consistently since 2012.

Hazards Reporting trend
Safety Engagement Rate
TRIFR

Our Commitment and Practices:

To eliminate or reduce workplace injuries.
Aim for zero serious injuries and fatalities.
Conduct Take 5 or Workplace Risk Assessment and Control (WRAC) to identify hazards and risks associated with all routine and non-routine tasks.
Implement critical controls and monitoring programmes to prevent material unwanted events.
Provide support to our employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Transition from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001, which we achieved in 2020.
Implementation of malaria vector control programmes, which have reduced malaria cases among employees and their families by approximately 60% each year. This is achieved through a bite prevention programme, where employees on the night shift are provided with mosquito repellents. The company’s housing units, where over 1,266 employees and their dependents live, are disinfected regularly.
Protect the health of our workforce by ensuring compliance with industrial benchmarks and health values for crystalline silica, operational noise, diesel particulate matter, chemical management, and whole-body vibration.

Annual fire drill by Gold Fields Fire Brigade

Employee Wellbeing

Apart from access to quality healthcare, we run an extensive Wellbeing programme, which encourages employees to live healthy lifestyles. Employees are screened regularly for various health issues and advised on how to better manage these conditions. The programme also covers voluntary HIV/AIDS counselling and testing.

Regular fitness exercises are organised for employees and their families. Recreational and sports facilities such as gyms, swimming pools, football pitches, tennis courts, volleyball courts, golf courses, squash courts and table tennis facilities are also available and often used by employees and their families.

Wellbeing volleyball game at Tarkwa mine