Diversified gold major Gold Fields has made significant progress in strengthening its safety culture through its partnership with mining technology company Hexagon, said Gold Fields Ghana asset optimisation manager Daniel Korsah.

Speaking at the Hexagon Regional Mining Forum, held in Johannesburg last month, he outlined how the collaboration had transformed safety performance, particularly at Gold Fields’ Tarkwa mine, in Ghana – one of the country’s largest openpit gold operations.

The partnership started in 2012 and has evolved from a pilot project using 72 trucks for its operations to a mine-wide safety ecosystem integrating fatigue monitoring, vehicle-interaction awareness and collision-avoidance systems (CAS).

Korsah added that creating “enduring value beyond mining” depended on protecting the workforce, and that Gold Fields’ journey with Hexagon technology had been central to that commitment.

At Tarkwa, Gold Fields operates a fleet of about 95 haul trucks across multiple pits, moving close to 100-million tonnes a year of material.

Korsah said this risk profile made investment in real-time safety technology a strategic priority.

“In the early days, we relied on standard safety procedures and operator honesty. But we realised human intervention alone could not guarantee consistent safety. We needed technology that could see what we could not.”

This realisation prompted the introduction of the Hexagon Operator Alertness System (OAS) and collision avoidance technologies.

“Today, if a truck doesn’t have the safety system installed, it’s not allowed in operation. That shows how far our safety culture has evolved.”

Korsah added that the OAS technology’s results were tangible: at Tarkwa, Gold Fields recorded a 88% and 77% reduction in critical events for 2024 and year-to-date October 2025, respectively. He described these outcomes as “visible proof of the culture we’ve built together with Hexagon”.

Real-time Response

A key feature of the OAS system is its real-time response capability. When fatigue or distraction is detected, operators are instructed to park in a safe zone while supervisors and relief drivers intervene.

The partnership also includes on-site 24/7 monitoring, with Hexagon’s support staff working alongside mine personnel. This hands-on collaboration helped to embed technology use at the operational level, rather than treating it as a remote oversight function, he noted.

Beyond fatigue management, Hexagon’s systems have also improved light-vehicle safety.

A recent pilot project revealed previously unseen at-risk behaviour, including mobile phone use while driving in pit areas. “Without technology, such actions would have gone unnoticed until a serious incident occurred,” noted Korsah.

Within four months of deploying OAS units in light vehicles, the mine recorded a 73% reduction in fatigue-related events.

Building local capability is another important part of the partnership, and Korsah credits Hexagon for helping Gold Fields establish an in-house maintenance and support team to ensure system reliability.

The miner has also focused on skills development in host communities, training local residents in system maintenance and data management.