Mineworkers advocate enhanced safety awareness for all

The Ghana Mineworkers Union (GMWU) of the Trades Union Congress, Ghana, has commended the government for the swift response to help rebuild the community of Appiatse in the Western Region after the explosion.

While commending other relevant state agencies, the union said the incident called for an urgent need to be deliberate about health and safety awareness among Ghanaians.

It said steps should be taken to integrate health and safety into all spheres of national life, be it at the workplace, homes, or public places.

“The government must intervene swiftly through policy or legislation to ensure health and safety is given national prominence and greater attention in the Ghanaian society.

“Indeed, there is no gainsaying that some safety awareness could have significantly saved the situation and made a big difference by reducing the overall impact of the disaster,” the GMWU said in a media release issued in Accra on January 25, 2022.

The union said it was distraught and deeply concerned by the incident and commiserate with the entire Appiatse community, the inhabitants, some of whom are members of the union and their families for the loss.

Enhanced supervision

Raising safety concerns, the union called on the relevant state agencies, particularly the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission to step up its supervisory role in enforcement and compliance and extend its training services to host mining communities.

“Indeed, mining, like any commercial activity, should not endanger the lives of anybody, whether you live within or far from a mining community, and the surest way to do that is to focus more on the preventive side by educating the citizenry, ensuring strict enforcement and compliance with safety standards,” it said.

The union was hopeful that thorough investigations would be conducted by an independent body to establish the cause of the accident, as well as recommend appropriate measures to forestall its recurrence and where transgressors are fingered, they must be punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

“The union would also like to draw the government’s attention to the ramifications particularly on jobs as a consequence of a total shut down of the operations of the Maxam Ghana Limited on the entire mining value chain. It is , therefore, our considered view that investigations into the matter be expedited to ensure that jobs are saved and livelihoods ultimately protected,” it said.

Appeal

Meanwhile,the GMWU has called on all well-meaning Ghanaians and corporate bodies/institutions to assist the government to put smiles on the faces of the people of Appiatse within the shortest time possible.