紫金矿业

Occupational Health and Safety
Occupational Health and Safety
Occupational Health and Safety

Safety is our top responsibility to our employees and contractors. Zijin Mining regards occupational health and safety as one of its core values. It uses the “Ten Safety Guidelines” as a safety management guide to achieve “Zero Fatalities and Zero Occupational Diseases” for employees and contractors. We will continuously improve our safety management system, effectively manage the occupational health and safety risks associated with production and operations, and constantly improve our OHS performance to ensure the health and well-being of our employees, contractors, and the communities where we operate.

UN Sustainable Development Goals
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UN Global Compact
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Targets and Progress
  • Zero fatality
  • Reduced number of accidents
  • With 2020 as the baseline year, all production and operation sites will have 1S045001:2018 certification by 2023.
  • 100% safety training coverage for employees and contractors
  • Progress in 2023
  • Progress in the past
  • 32.08%
    Investment in production safety was RMB 2.804 billion, a year-on-year increase of 32.08%
    97.5%
    ISO45001:2018 certification coverage reached 97.5%
    0.91
    The total recordable incident rate per million hours worked (TRIR) was 0.91
    13.8%
    The lost time injury rate per million hours worked (LTIR) was 0.25, a year-on-year decrease of 13.8%

    0 tier 1 process safety event (T-1 PSE) due to hazardous material leaks

    A Tier 1 process safety event refers to the accidental leakage of toxic and harmful substances (mainly cyanide and sulfide in our process) caused by container seal failure/ emergency pressure relief for process problems in the production process, which results in personnel injury, serious pollution, or other safety events.

Our Approach

Concerning the ISO 45001 requirements and international best practices, we continuously improve the pyramidal safety management system with Zijin Mining’s characteristics. During the reporting period, we further revised and improved policies, guidelines, and standards around policy documents such as the “Policy Statement on Management of Health and Safety” and the “Occupational Health, Safety, and Environmental Management Guide." In addition, we issued four safety policies and prepared more than 1,000 “Job Safety Manuals” to provide specific job positions with targeted safety guidance.

We also formulated OHS system evaluation guidelines and rules and organized the evaluations (internal audits) of the operation of our subsidiaries’ OHS management systems. At the same time, we entrusted third-party institutions to perform compliance evaluations and inspections and conducted safety audits (external audits) on some large mines.

Risk Management

We focus on the following aspects to carry out risk management based on the “Risk-based, Risk Pre-control, Dynamic Management” principle and the “Measures for Safety Risk Classification, Management and Control and Prevention, Investigation and Management of Hidden Hazards”:

  • Whole life cycle control:Emphasize source prevention, strengthen risk control during the design phase of operational projects, and implement risk control measures throughout the entire construction and production process.
  • Unsafe behaviour control: To improve all employees’ safety awareness and skills, we implement a safety quality enhancement program, using multi-dimensional behavior intervention techniques to enhance all employees’ safety habits. We proactively pay attention to employees’ physical and mental health, behavior and habits, guide them to form safe behavioral habits, and reduce operational risks caused by fatigue, stress, suboptimal health, and other factors.
  • Risk change management:Continuously conduct risk identification, improve the risk list, and control measures at all levels promptly. Implement higher-level control on recurring hidden hazards and at critical periods. Eliminate or reduce the potential safety risks arising from permanent or temporary changes in personnel, facilities, processes (techniques), etc.
  • Integrated contractor management:We incorporate contractors into the Company’s integrated OHS management system and manage contractors with consistent safety qualifications, team quality, and site management standards. We set up Zijin Construction Group to actively explore the self-management and general contracting model for mining projects to improve the stability of contractors and ensure continual training, reducing contractors’ safety risks.
Fostering a Safety Culture

We give employees continuous occupational health and safety training both in their orientation period and throughout their employment. We also utilize assessments to ensure that all employees and contractors have comprehensive occupational health and safety knowledge. To enhance the safety awareness of all employees, we have also launched the “Zijin Safety Academy” online learning system and compiled independent learning knowledge manuals so that employees can acquire occupational health and safety knowledge online at any time. In addition, we promote occupational health knowledge and activities from time to time to strengthen the safety awareness of our employees.

Hazardous Chemicals Management

We implement regulations such as the “Hazardous Chemicals Safety Management Code” and strictly follow the host countries’ international management standards and laws and regulations related to hazardous chemicals. We adhere to the “Minamata Convention on Mercury” and are committed not to using mercury to extract gold and not accepting gold produced by third parties using mercury. For the elemental mercury that may be contained in natural ores, we treat it in the mineral processing and smelting process and then discharge it in compliance with the relevant regulations. The Company carries out proper safety management in the procurement, transportation, production, storage, and use of hazardous chemicals, including cyanide, by the following means:

  • Refrain from using and producing chemicals that are prohibited by the laws and regulations of the host countries and international conventions;
  • Design storage depots for hazardous chemicals according to specifications and install relevant emergency facilities according to the required standards;
  • Strict dual-person management is implemented for the receipt, recording, locking, transportation, and use of highly toxic chemicals.
  • All operations are subject to cross-checking, and violation of regulations is strictly prohibited.;
  • All employees and contractors involved in the storage, transportation, use, and disposal of hazardous chemicals must receive specialized training;
  • Adopt a safety responsibility system for major sources of hazardous chemicals and clearly define the main technical and operational personnel’s duties and safety management responsibilities.
Occupational Health Management

The mental and physical well-being of all workers are important to us. We are committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for our employees and contractors and preventing work-related injuries and health damage. We have adopted the occupational disease prevention and control policy of “Prevention First, Combining Prevention and Control” to implement classified management and comprehensive control of health risks in the production environment. We have made occupational health management plans for all employees and strictly implement medium- and long-term plans to prevent and control occupational diseases.

  • Physical examination: All employees and contractors are provided with occupational health examinations conducted by professional examination organizations before they start work, during their employment, and when they leave the Company. The examination results are delivered to our employees and contractors as a written report.
  • Health monitoring:we conduct long-term periodic occupational health monitoring for our employees. We keep monitoring and assessment records and truthfully share the monitoring results with our employees and contractors. In addition, we have a position rotation and change mechanism for personnel at risk of occupational diseases to avoid long-term exposure to health hazards.

In addition, for the all-round physical and mental health of all employees and contractors, we provide health services such as health monitoring, prevention and control of infectious and chronic diseases, and mental health counseling, and create a positive, harmonious, and inclusive health culture:

  • Medical protection: The Company offers medical insurance, work injury insurance, and additional medical compensation and work injury compensation for our people. It also provides first-aid medical supplies and full-time (part-time) medical staff stationed at the mines.
  • Healthy lifestyle: “Staff Lounges” are set up at mines to provide employees with leisure and sports facilities and all types of fitness equipment. Sports and cultural activities, such as sports days, swimming competitions, and health master awards, are held from time to time.
  • Additional health benefits for female employees:We have established exclusive lounges for female employees, providing sincere care to pregnant and breastfeeding female employees. Professionals are invited to conduct women-themed talks to help women manage their mental health. Additional maternity insurance and benefits are also provided.
  • Mental health:We regularly organize mental health talks, psychological counseling, psychological tests, psychological guidance, and other activities, and set up facilities such as “mental health stations” to alleviate the negative effects of work stress, improve employees’ psychological quality, and cultivate a positive mindset.
Emergency Management

To prevent emergencies, improve the ability to respond to emergencies involving public crises, prevent the expansion or escalation of incidents, minimize casualties and property losses, and reduce environmental damage and social impact, we have established an emergency management system with Zijin Mining’s characteristics.

In our continuous efforts to strengthen our emergency management system, we have built a production safety monitoring and emergency dispatch center that covers our major subsidiaries. Using new technologies such as AI intelligent identification, underground precision positioning, the Internet of Things, and big data, we have achieved interconnection and integrated central control of critical risks, important facilities, and key areas to significantly enhance our monitoring, early warning, emergency rescue and handling capabilities for major risks and our capacity to respond to any major emergencies.


We require all mines to organize a first-class mine emergency rescue team that possesses extensive expertise. These teams shall be equipped with multiple emergency rescue professionals and equipment, and capability training and drills shall be conducted on a regular basis to respond to all types of emergencies.

Intelligent Mine for Better Safety

We believe that the development of science and technology is the greatest booster to intrinsic safety and the fundamental solution to reduce risks and eliminate hazards. Therefore, we have done technical transition work that “Replaces Human with Mechanization, Reduces Manpower with Automation and Makes Possible Unmanned Operations Using Intelligence” in all our subsidiaries. The most dangerous work is gradually transformed into mature processes based on advanced technologies by promoting the use of advanced and applicable technologies and equipment. This reduces the frequency of employees facing high-risk processes, lowers the overall risks of employees and contractors, and brings intrinsic safety to a higher level.

  • Julong Copper's "5G+ Autonomous Driving" Mining Truck System
    As a designated “National Intelligent Mine Construction Pilot Unit” by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Julong Copper actively promotes the research and application of “5G+ Autonomous Driving” technology. At present, several autonomous NTE mining trucks are in operation. During the pilot phase, three to six autonomous transport vehicles were running together. In the comprehensive promotion phase, it is expected to achieve a cluster operation of no less than 150 autonomous mining trucks. This effectively addresses the challenges of high-altitude, cold, and low-oxygen environments, reduces labor intensity and occupational hazards to workers, and improves the intrinsic safety.
  • Remote Fully Autonomous Mine System of Zijinshan Gold and Copper Mine
    Zijinshan Gold and Copper Mine deployed its underground mining intelligent shovel autonomous system in 2022, achieving collaboration between multiple equipment in the main steps in the work process, such as remote shoveling-loading, automatic driving of mining trucks, remote control of crushing and surface central control center. A single intelligent control platform can achieve full coverage monitoring and operation of the entire underground operation. The system has changed underground work to remote control from the ground control room, improving the employees’ work environment, effectively reducing the inherent risks of underground operations, and significantly improving employees’ occupational health and safety.