At Kinross Tasiast, the majority of employees are practicing members of the Muslim faith and observe Ramadan – a sacred month of prayer, reflection, charity and community.
As part of our commitments to our First Priorities of Health and Safety and Putting People First, Kinross implemented a series of initiatives to support employees during the month of Ramadan including:
- Modified shift schedules to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting and prevent employees from experiencing fatigue while working in high temperatures without food or water
- An air-conditioned cafeteria built in close proximity to the on-site mosque to enable employees to break their fast directly after prayer times and to reduce the length of walks in high temperatures
- The on-site restaurant operated on a modified schedule to accommodate meals before sunrise and to provide employees with traditional foods consumed during Ramadan such as ‘Zrig’, ‘Bissap’ and ‘Tejmakht’, and,
- A fatigue management campaign embedded across the site to raise awareness about strategies to prevent fatigue while fasting, and to prioritize safety during daily operations while fasting
“At Kinross, Health and Safety will always remain our top priority and we are committed to Putting People First. We were pleased to implement numerous accommodations to support our employees during Ramadan, and the feedback we received reiterated that our support significantly improved their observance of this sacred month.”
In addition to the accommodations made at site to support employees, a series of donations totaling over US$65,000 were made in the communities surrounding Tasiast to honour this special month including:
- A donation of high-quality carpets to ten mosques in the Chami communities that will be used for prayer services
- Over 185 food kits containing the necessities for meal preparation including rice, sugar, vegetable oil, milk, dates and tea to communities surrounding the mine and;
- A donation of three refrigerators, two solar freezers and a generator were delivered to the Municipality of Inal to allow for the preservation of food and beverages
All donations were made to community members and their local governing officials with a ceremony reaffirming our strong partnerships and commitment to supporting and respecting our neighboring communities and their culture.