ESG
Putting the health and safety of our people first
Our workforce is our most important asset: ensuring they have a safe and healthy work environment, are highly skilled and well-trained.
2023 highlights
- TIFR: 0.96
- 505 employees completed the Nyanzvi safety leadership training programme
- 670 people trained in basic first aid
- $98,690 spent on training
- 20,235 training hours
Protecting the health, safety and well-being of our people is paramount for Caledonia, and the way we manage health and safety is informed by the following goals:
- To eliminate fatalities and life altering injuries from our operations.
- To continually reduce the number of injuries and occupational illnesses.
- To ensure at least 75% of our employees are trained in basic first aid.
We recognise that mining has a wide range of safety risks to be managed, and it is therefore unsurprising that health and safety is one of the highest priority sustainability issues both for management and our external stakeholders.
We have robust Safety Management Systems in place at all our operations and use the National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA) framework to identify, understand and manage site-specific hazards and health and safety risks.
In line with our Safety, Health and the Environment programme, which follows a risk mitigation hierarchy of control and behaviours, everyone at Caledonia has a responsibility to enforce our safety standards, and to stop unsafe work. Safety policies and systems are reinforced by regular training and safety-awareness courses.
Any injury, near-miss or safety incident on site is used as an important early warning system, and thus is reviewed and assessed by the Safety, Health and Environment team to identify the root cause and ensure that appropriate corrective actions are taken to prevent recurrence. We have a dedicated emergency response team onsite at Blanket, and each department also has several team members in each shift who are trained in first aid to provide care until the emergency response team arrives. We also have specially trained underground rescue teams at Blanket.
Gold mining and its associated processes carry a range of occupational health hazards, which if not appropriately managed, can develop into serious health problems for our workers. Our aim is for a workplace free from occupational disease and thus Caledonia focuses on prevention, with several measures in place to mitigate exposure to risk.
The Nyanzvi initiative at Caledonia is aimed at maintaining high safety standards at Blanket and was designed to facilitate cultural change at the operation. At its core is a culture of responsibility and collaboration – we are focused on co-creating a unique employee development programme that is based on the understanding that it is every employee’s responsibility to safeguard their own safety and that of their fellow employees.
CASE STUDY
In Safe Competition
Each year, we actively participate in the annual Chamber of Mines First Aid competition, hosted at How Mine. Organised by the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines, the competition challenges teams to demonstrate their ability to effectively respond to medical emergencies commonly encountered in mining environments. Participants are assessed on their proficiency in administering first aid, assessing injuries, and managing various medical emergencies, such as accidents, injuries, or illnesses.
Teams consist of twelve members, divided between underground and surface teams. Each team must navigate simulated underground and surface-based accident scenarios. With five members and one substitute in each group, teams have 15 minutes to complete each exercise, including the rescue and transportation of patients to medical facilities.
In the 2023 competition, Blanket Mine’s underground team achieved fifth place, highlighting their proficiency in emergency response and dedication to safety excellence.