Creating a safe work environment is the most important aspect of the commitment and pledge we make to each and every employee. Yamana has rigorous procedures in place to manage health and safety protocols and is continually investing time and resources to enhance health and safety at all operations. We strive to go beyond compliance and ensure the prevention of accidents at our sites through the implementation of best practices.

Key Milestones Achieved in 2010: 

• The Chapada and El Peñón mines achieved OHSAS 18001 certification for Occupational Health and Safety Management.
• Four out of the five Yamana operations which use cyanide during processing were recommended by third party audits for full compliance with the International Cyanide Management Code. Gualcamayo is expected to achieve compliance in 2011.
• In Brazil, H1N1, hepatitis A and tetanus vaccinations were offered to the local community.
• The Safety Alert campaign was undertaken at each operation, enforcing the importance of safety in the workplace.
• The Lost Time Injury Frequency and Severity Rate decreased for the fourth consecutive year.

Yamana's Commitment to Safety

Yamana has rigorous procedures in place to manage health and safety protocols and continues to make investments to enhance safety at all operations. We strive to go beyond compliance and ensure the prevention of accidents at our sites through the implementation of best practices in health and safety management. The overall health and safety of our employees is vital to our success and we actively assign resources to effect improvements in this regard.

As part of the Yamana Management System, Yamana has created health and safety committees, risk management tools, safety inspections, safety interactions and daily safety dialogues with workers that help the Company to prevent accidents. All incidents, whether resulting in work leave or not, are registered by the Company. Each mine has a SHEC committee comprised of the operation’s management team. The committees receive input from the president of Internal Commission for Accident Prevention (CIPA) on how to improve health and safety programs. In addition to the creation of the SHEC Corporate Committees in 2009, the Company created the YMS Day, in which members of the committees spend a day at each mine to speak to employees promoting the importance of health, safety and environmental issues.

Yamana's safety programs include:

Safety Interactions (Safety Behavior Audits)

This program encourages management to approach employees to reinforce safety measures. The objective is to gain each employee’s commitment to conduct all operating activities safely.

Daily Safety Dialogue

Prior to the start of a day’s work, safety dialogues are conducted at all operations and cover specific topics related to health, safety and environmental guidelines.

Registration of Safety Occurrence

This program requires employees at all operations to register potentially dangerous situations with management. Each report is reviewed and solutions are implemented to avoid any future safety issues.

P.E.A.C.E.

Which stands for Think, Study, Analyze, Correct and Execute in Portuguese, is a safety program that ensures each employee analyzes a task in order to execute it safely. This program reinforces the five key actions employees should take when assessing a potential risky situation.