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At IAMGOLD, conduct is governed by a single principle – Zero
Harm. At the end of each day, we ask ourselves: Are we
doing enough to protect our employees from harm? Are we
doing enough to minimize our footprint on the environment?
And are we doing enough to give back to our host
communities? There is nothing we would like more than to
look back at our health, safety and sustainability record and
report Zero Harm.
Are we doing enough to protect our employees
from harm?
Recently, IAMGOLD joined the Mining Safety Roundtable, an
industry forum for the leaders who are most focused on
safety. We have received accolades for our innovative
programs to improve safety performance. Our Mind Body
Achievement program, for example, has been a success in
promoting safe behaviour in the workplace. After
implementation last year at two construction projects, the
results were excellent. Project teams building the expansion
tanks at Rosebel and the mill expansion at Niobec completed
construction without any injuries. I am also delighted to report
that Mouska continued with its record safety performance,
having gone almost 700 days without any compensable
claims for on-the-job injuries as of the end of 2010.
Overall, our safety performance record in 2010 was not
where we wanted it to be. Company-wide, there were 9%
more injuries (total recordable incident rate) than in 2009.
We deeply regret the deaths of an employee at our Niobec
mine last year and an employee of a contractor at our
Rosebel mine in 2011, and have extended support to
their families. When tragedies occur, our focus is on
understanding the cause behind the accident and sharing
that knowledge with all our operations. And we step up our
efforts to drive home the importance of ongoing vigilance and
safe work practices. The cornerstone of a first-rate safety
program is accident prevention through hazard management.
Are we doing enough to minimize our footprint
on the environment?
As with safety, protecting our environment requires a
concerted effort by everyone. We were proud of the effort
made by employees at Westwood and Essakane last year to
earn their ISO 14001 Environmental Management System
certification. This is significant, as it provides them with a
formal system for implementing strategies to reduce the
negative impact of their operations on the environment.
This year we are excited about launching our new biodiversity
strategy. This initiative will improve our ability to assess the
impact of our operations on various ecosystems and help
to focus our rehabilitation efforts. We look forward to
reporting more about this to you as the year progresses.
Are we doing enough to give back to our host
communities?
Our $465 million investment in developing and commissioning
Essakane was the largest investment in the history of Burkina
Faso. With that comes huge responsibility, which we take
very seriously. We have developed strong relationships with
our host community and have funded initiatives to improve its
standard of living. In 2010, we completed the relocation of
more than 13,000 people in accordance with the International
Finance Corporation's (IFC) Social and Environmental
Performance Standards. Part of the resettlement activities
included the construction of a new school and the drilling of
38 functional wells in the villages to ensure an abundant
supply of safe drinking water.
Our efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2010, we received
the Corporate Sustainability Award at Canada's Annual CSR
Conference. This was in recognition of our Zero Harm vision
and our strong partnerships with more than 28 community
and non-governmental organizations in our host countries.
Since beginning international activities more than 20 years
ago, IAMGOLD has focused on the long term, minimizing any
negative impact associated with its activities and sharing
the financial benefits of success with our host communities.
Our goal this year remains unchanged – to achieve Zero
Harm in all that we do. Thank you to all our employees for
their tireless efforts to move us closer to making this a
reality.
Ross Gallinger
Senior Vice President,
Health,
Safety and Sustainability
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Community Development Initiative – Improving Livelihoods
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| When we move into communities
in our host countries we make an effort to give something back. |
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Community Development Initiative – Improving Livelihoods |
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When we move into communities in our host countries we make an effort to give something back. One of the ways we can do that is by bettering the lives of the people who live there. Some of our most successful initiatives are those in which our own employees have identifid an opportunity for us to partner with other interested groups in the community. Last year, acting on an idea from one
of our local employees, we partnered with Kersten and the Caribbean Heavy Equipment Educational Center to develop an equipment training program and a technical school at our Rosebel operation in Suriname. Through this partnership, we are able to provide people in seven surrounding
communities with the skills needed for a variety of careers, including jobs at Rosebel.
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