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De Beers Group is proud to accept an Excellence Award as one of Canada’s Safest Employers in the Mining and Natural Resources division, presented by Canadian Occupational Health and Safety magazine.

The 2020 Canada’s Safest Employers Awards announced on October 22 recognize employers in 21 sectors for their achievements, leadership and innovation in health and safety during the past year. De Beers Group was one of two companies to receive an Excellence Award in the category. In 2017 and 2018, De Beers Group received the Silver Award in the Mining and Natural Resources division of Canada’s Safest Employers.

“Put Safety First is the primary value for all of us at De Beers Group, because a safe and healthy workplace is the foundation for our success,” said Mpumi Zikalala, Managing Director of De Beers Group Managed Operations, which oversees the company’s operations in Canada. “We are thrilled that the judges have recognized the work by our employees and contractors to keep their brothers and sisters safe on the job each and every day.”

This is the third major recognition for safety excellence received by De Beers Group in Canada this year. Gahcho Kué mine received the national 2020 John T. Ryan Award for Select Mines from the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum in May. On October 14, Gahcho Kué’s health and safety team was one of three runners up for the De Beers Group’s Albert Milton Safety Leadership Award, selected from 110 entries submitted from across the company.

Since 2016, the total recordable injury rate across De Beers Group in Canada has reduced by 20 per cent. Notably, Gahcho Kué mine recently surpassed 3 million hours worked without a Lost Time Injury and Victor mine surpassed 1 million hours without a Lost Time Injury.

De Beers Group operates the joint venture Gahcho Kué mine in the Northwest Territories (NWT), and owns the Chidliak Advanced Exploration Project in Nunavut. The company also has an active exploration program and is advancing two mines through closure, Victor mine in Northern Ontario and Snap Lake mine in the NWT. The company employs about 650 people in Canada, and has offices in Calgary, Toronto and Yellowknife.