Occupational safety and health

Group

• The alignment of safety and health statistics between AngloGold and the former Ashanti operations was completed during the first quarter and consolidated safety statistics were reported for the AngloGold Ashanti group as a whole from the second quarter. This follows an agreement to adopt common safety standards and definitions.
• AngloGold Ashanti Mineração, formerly Morro Velho, was awarded the third Dick Fisher Global Safety Award for excellence in safety in 2004. The award was made in recognition of a 23% improvement when compared to the operation's best ever previous performance since 2002. This operation (comprising the Cuiabá mine, the Queiroz plant and surface infrastructure) recorded only eight lost-time injuries in 2004 (LTIFR of 1.56 per million hours worked). The board committee on safety, health and sustainable development acknowledged that AngloGold Ashanti Mineração had made significant improvements in respect of risk management, and this has manifested in extremely high compliance to support standards, best in class ramp and roadway conditions and many other safety improvements. The Savuka mine in South Africa and the Cripple Creek & Victor mine (CC&V) in the United States were also commended for achieving significant improvements in safety management performance.

South Africa

• The South Africa region held a safety re-launch on 7 April 2004. During the re-launch, each general manager committed his team to improved safety performance.
• The shaft mine overseer section at Tau Lekoa mine achieved one million fatality-free shifts on 21 June 2004. It took the section, comprising about 250 people, 12 years and 10 months of safe operations to reach this milestone.
• Great Noligwa reached one million fatality-free shifts on 31 March 2004, after 5.5 months.
• Savuka mine won the South African Safety Shield Competition for 2004. The mine showed an 8.34% improvement in its Serious Injury Frequency Rate, compared to its best performance over the previous four years.
• On 10 July 2004, the Kopanang mine achieved one million fatality-free shifts. It took 4,900 employees 8.5 months to attain this.
• Aurum Health Research, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AngloGold Health Service (AHS) has been granted $14 million for a major HIV-TB research project over five years. The grant is part of a larger award to the international Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS/TB Epidemic (CREATE) to research strategies for TB control, by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Australia

• The Sunrise Dam mine in Australia region won the Mineral Council of Australia's Minex award for excellence in health and safety.
• The Australia region attained second place in the Western Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy's (CME) Safety and Health Innovation awards for the Hori Board, an innovation designed to reduce hand injuries in core yards.
• Sunrise Dam Gold mine performed well in the Western Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy's Surface Mine Emergency Response Competition. Sunrise Dam took top honours in the vehicle extraction scenario. The competition tests teams with realistic scenarios to evaluate knowledge and skills in fire fighting, first aid, vehicle extraction, hazardous chemicals, rope rescue, breathing apparatus, team skills and theory.

Ghana

• Obuasi mine achieved one million fatality-free shifts on 17 June 2004 and two million fatality-free shifts on 30 October 2004.
• On 25 September 2004, the Iduapriem mine was recognised by Nosa for achieving 4 million hours without a disabling injury. Both Bibiani and Iduapriem were acknowledged with Nosa 5 star ratings during 2004.
• AngloGold Ashanti has budgeted $1.2 million for facilities and equipment upgrading at the Edwin Cade Memorial Hospital in Obuasi.

Namibia

• The Navachab mine in Namibia maintained its Nosa four star status, achieving an 84% audit result, an improvement on the previous year.

Mali

• The Morila mine's power plant shared the 'Best Overseas Operation' award by Rolls Royce Power Ventures Limited with respect to Health, Safety and Environmental management. The $1,000 prize money has been donated to a charity in the local village of Sanso.

Tanzania

• An annual Nosa audit was conducted at Geita in June 2004, covering all areas of health, safety and environment. The site retained its four-star rating, achieving an increased percentage score of 83.4%.