SUSTAINABILITY 
Health and wellness
Occupational diseases
Our people are exposed to potential hazards in our workplaces that could impact their health. Typically, these hazards include noise, exposure to fumes, dust, diesel particulate matter and a range of musculoskeletal impacts. Given the diverse nature of our operations, controls at our sites are tailored in accordance with the risk that potential hazards may pose to reduce any exposures to levels that are as low as reasonably achievable.
We have the same approach to managing occupational health hazards as managing physical safety, with risk assessments as the foundation of how we design control mechanisms and the intensity of the monitoring associated with the effectiveness of those controls. We adopt a proactive approach to exposure limitation by monitoring actual exposures, with action limits set to avoid exceeding any defined occupational exposure limits.
The number of occupational disease cases recorded during 2024 decreased to 26 from 29 in 2023. Musculoskeletal disorders made up 17 of the cases (2023: nine), noise-induced hearing loss threeRA (2023: eight) and Cardio-respiratory Tuberculosis six (2023: eight). No new cases of SilicosisRA or chronic obstructive airway diseases were reported in 2024. All Cardio-respiratory Tuberculosis cases were recorded at South Deep, while three musculoskeletal disorder cases occurred in Ghana, 13 in Australia and one in Peru.
Diesel particulate matter from large machinery poses a risk to our workforce at our underground operations in South Africa and Australia. We have a targeted programme in place to reduce potential exposures, which includes filtration placed on equipment; adequate ventilation; routine maintenance of equipment; use of low sulphur fuel; and implementing operating practices that successfully reduce potential exposures over time.
During the year, 7% of personal samples exceeded the occupational exposure limit for diesel particulate matter (2023: 3%), which we are seeking to address through coordinated interventions.
Silicosis and Tuberculosis
At South Deep, airborne pollutant exposures and suppression remain a key focus area as they increase the risk of TB and Silicosis. South Deep has a TB rate of 0.1% among its employees, compared to a national average of 0.5% in South Africa.
We have automated systems in place that actively suppress dust, and we continuously monitor our controls to ensure these remain effective. Where practical, we also remove our people from areas of potential risk. Our employees are educated on the importance of dust suppression, and are equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE).
The dust suppression programme is also supported by medical screening to aid in early detection of any potential effects. In line with a continued decline in potential exposures, no new cases of Silicosis or chronic obstructive airway diseases were reported at South Deep in 2024. Furthermore, South Deep has also not had any new Silicosis cases from individuals that joined the industry after 2008 – consistent with the industry trend.
In May 2018, Gold Fields and five other South African gold companies reached a historic settlement with claimant attorneys in a Silicosis and Tuberculosis class action. A settlement trust, known as the Tshiamiso Trust, was established to execute the terms of the settlement and ensure all eligible current and former mineworkers across southern Africa with Silicosis or work-related Tuberculosis (or their dependants, where the mineworker has passed away) are compensated. At 31 December 2024, the Trust had paid out over R2bn (US$109m) to 21,416 industry claimants. The provision for Gold Fields’ share of the settlement of the class action claims and related costs amounted to R92m (US$5m) at year-end.
Noise-Induced hearing loss
Exposure to high levels of noise from machinery and equipment present a risk of noise-induced hearing loss for our employees. New noise-induced hearing loss cases decreased slightly during the year, with two cases reported at South Deep (2023: six) and one at St Ives in Australia (2023: two). As far as reasonably possible, all new equipment purchased should not exceed noise levels of 107 dB(A), in line with the 2024 South African industry milestone.
We continue to mitigate exposure by applying engineering and administrative controls at all high noiseemitting sources. This includes installing silencers; purchasing less noisy equipment where possible; identifying and zoning noise areas; and providing personalised hearing protection devices to employees. We also provide fit-testing for hearing protection to ensure PPE is effective – it also educates our employees on how to fit such equipment accurately.
HIV/Aids
HIV/Aids is a particular risk for the South African population and is therefore a focus at South Deep. The percentage of HIV/Aids cases at South Deep in 2024 was 19.6% of the workforce (2023: 19.7%). By year-end-2024, 1,036 of the workforce were living with HIV/Aids, of which 1,007 are on highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) treatment. The mine continues to offer voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) to prospective and permanent employees, as well as our business partners. During 2024, 5,381 counselling sessions were conducted. At South Deep employees and their immediate relatives are covered for their treatment by their medical aids. Employees who decline treatment are closely monitored and counselled on a regular basis.
HIV/Aids is less of a risk in Ghana, where the national HIV/Aids rate is below 2%. However, we offer free VCT to employees and contractors and run several educational programmes. During 2024, 35%, or 2,503 of our workforce in Ghana underwent VCT (2023: 47%) and nine workers were enrolled in HAART (2023: nine). We identified four new HIV/Aids positive cases among our Ghana workforce, bringing the number of employees living with HIV/Aids to 33.
Among South African and Ghanaian employees, 581RA were on HAART during 2024, while 64%RA of the total workforce in these countries were part of the VCT programme.
Malaria
In Ghana, our employees face a high risk of exposure to malaria. The region has a comprehensive malaria control strategy in place, which includes education initiatives, prevention, prophylaxis and treatment. We also provide mosquito repellent to our workers, support for community health facilities and rapid diagnosis and treatment. In 2024, 342RA employees (2023: 460) tested positive for malaria.
