KAZ Minerals aims to provide safe working conditions for all employees and contractors, but we are saddened to report that in 2023 there was a fatal incident at the Artemyevsky underground mine in the East Region of Kazakhstan. In January 2024 a fatality occurred at the Bozymchak mine in Kyrgyzstan.

Fatalities

Number of fatalities
(employees and contractors)

Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate
(TRIFR)

KAZ Minerals believes that all fatalities are avoidable and preventable. After any fatal incident, operations are suspended, and senior management attend the site as soon as possible. All fatalities are investigated by state authorities. Once this process is completed, the Group conducts its own detailed investigation to establish root causes and identify any procedural or other changes required to prevent recurrence of similar incidents.

The Board and senior management have committed to the Group’s Goal Zero initiative, which covers industrial safety, occupational safety and environmental protection. In 2022, this initiative was expanded to become Living Goal Zero, which encourages the Group’s employees and contractors to view safe working practices as a way of life. The number and frequency of fatalities at the Group’s operations has been on a long-term downward trend, and prior to 2023 the Group had achieved two fatality-free years. Open pit mining is inherently safer than underground mining and the Group’s safety performance has improved as its large scale open pit mines at Aktogay and Bozshakol have ramped up to represent the majority of the Group’s production.

Injuries

The average TRIFR for ICMM members in 2022 was 2.66 (2021: 2.90). Under ICMM definitions, all injuries including Lost Time Injuries, restricted work cases and medical treatment cases are Recordable Injuries. The reporting and investigation of hazards, minor injuries and near misses, with a focus on potentially high-risk incidents, are important management tools for improving safety and health performance.

In 2023, KAZ Minerals recorded 45 TRI cases across its operations, a 4% reduction from the 47 cases recorded in 2022. The reduction in absolute TRI cases drove a 4% reduction in the Group’s TRIFR to 1.06 (2022: 1.10) as hours worked remained in line with 2022 at 42.6 million hours.

A TRIFR of 1.06 is low for the mining industry and demonstrates management’s success in establishing a strong safety culture across all of the Group’s operations. Nonetheless, KAZ Minerals will continue to strive for injury-free operations, having demonstrated that this is possible in the past by operating without any Recordable Cases or any Lost Time Injuries in certain months.

Over the period from 2018 to 2023, the Group’s open pit mining operations achieved a maximum Lost Time Injury-free interval of 321 days at Aktogay, 631 days at Bozshakol and 1,302 days at Bozymchak. Injury rates have also significantly reduced in the East Region operations over this period.

Total Recordable Cases Frequency Rate

Total Recordable Cases

Occupational health

There were 73 new cases of occupational diseases recorded in 2023 (2022: 68). The majority of new cases in 2023 resulted from radiculopathy and silicosis.

Occupational health problems are usually the result of long-term exposure to risks such as poor ergonomics, vibration, dust or noise. The Group has measures in place to remove or reduce these risk factors where possible, for example by limiting the time that employees spend in roles that expose them to heightened occupational health risk factors. Annual medical checks are conducted to ensure the timely identification of emerging occupational health conditions.

During 2023, actions have been further developed to address common causes of occupational disorders in the Group’s underground operations including upgraded personal protective equipment and increased automation in high-risk working environments. Medical services on site at the East Region, where all of the Group’s occupational health cases arose in 2023, have been enhanced to deliver greater focus on preventative management of occupational health, which the Group expects will result in improved health outcomes.

The open pit mines at Aktogay, Bozshakol and Bozymchak had no occupational health cases during 2023.