Continuing our push on safety ahead of the June International Mining issue focus on safety, we are pleased to note Gold Fields has been ranked first in the open-pit mining category of the 13th National Mining Safety Contest of Peru. The contest, which takes place annually, is organised by the Mining Safety Institute of Peru in an effort to instill safe mining practices and ensure that the best occupational health and safety standards are maintained in the industry.

Mining companies, including international mining companies that operate in Peru, competed for the coveted award which comes after Gold Fields placed second in the National Pit Safety Award and second in the Expomina National Contest for Environmental Practices and Projects during the 2009 financial year.

Juan Luis Kruger, Executive Vice President: Gold Fields South America, said: “We are pleased to be ranked first and this recognition is an example of the commitment we have shown in ensuring that sustainable mining practices are followed at our mines. This is in line with the Group’s commitment to safety and has seen the mine’s lost day injuries decrease to 2 in F2009 from a previous 12, whilst our lost day injury frequency rate fell from 0.96 in F2008 to 0.25 in F2009.”

The improvement in Cerro Corona’s safety standards is driven by management’s commitment to promoting a culture of safety amongst all those working on site, including employees and contractors.

“This award gives us the certainty that we are on the right path and encourages us to continue going forward towards a new challenge of maintaining and improving our Occupational Health and safety Management systems at all our mining operations,” added Kruger.