The International Cyanide Management Institute (ICMI) announced today that Gold Fields Limited’s St. Ives Gold Mine in Australia has been found in non-compliance with the International Cyanide Management Code (Cyanide Code).
The St. Ives Gold Mine was initially certified in compliance with the Cyanide Code in June 2009, and recertified in February 2013. As required under the Cyanide Code, the mine was again audited against ICMI’s Verification Protocol within three years of its previous certification by independent professional third-party auditors. ICMI has received and accepted the auditors’ Detailed Audit Findings Report, which found that St. Ives had not maintained compliance with the Cyanide Code’s Principles and Standards of Practices during the previous three years. The Summary Audit Report, Auditor Credentials Form and Corrective Action Plan are available on Gold Fields’ Signatory Companies Page of the Cyanide Code website: http://cyanidecode.org/signatory-company/gold-fields-limited. Pursuant to Item III.B of ICMI’s Signatory and Certification Process (http://www.cyanidecode.org/become-signatory/signatory-and-certification-…), the mine cannot be certified until it has fully implemented its Corrective Action Plan and complied with the other provisions of III.B.
The Cyanide Code is a voluntary industry program for companies involved in the production of gold using cyanide and companies producing and transporting this cyanide. It was developed under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme by a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee. The Cyanide Code is intended to complement an operation’s existing obligation to comply with the applicable laws and regulations of the political jurisdictions in which the operation is located.
ICMI has been established to administer the Cyanide Code, promote its adoption, evaluate its implementation, and manage the certification process. A detailed list of the operations covered by signatory companies’ applications, along with the full text of the Cyanide Code and its implementing and administrative documents, are available at www.cyanidecode.org.
Date:
Friday, December 30, 2016