JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – West Africa-focused gold miner Randgold Resources has moved to implement safety measures as some countries in West Africa were fighting an outbreak of Ebola.
Randgold operated four gold mines and had exploration programmes in Mali, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.
CEO Mark Bristow said that, while the operations were distant from any Ebola-affected areas, it would arm its employees with knowledge and awareness of the deadly disease.
This comes as reports emerged that the death toll from the epidemic neared 1 000 across Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea – where the outbreak was first reported – and Sierra Leone this week.
“Employees had been advised not to travel to the affected areas and contractors had been instructed not to bring any workers from these areas onto the company's sites,” he said.
The company would closely monitor the situation.