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Inspectorate Division of Minerals Commission urged to step up supervisory role

The Ghana Mineworkers Union (GMWU) has called on the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission to step up its supervisory role on enforcement and compliance of mining regulations.

That, GMWU said, was necessary to forestall accidents in the mining communities.

A statement signed by the General Secretary of the Union, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, and copied to the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday to commiserate with the people of Appiatse, entreated the Inspectorate Division to extend its services to host mining communities and provide basic training in health and safety particularly bordering on identifying common hazards or dangers inevitably associated with mining and how to deal with them.

The GMWU called for an independent enquiry into the Appiatse disaster and pleaded with the government to pay attention to the ramification of the disaster on the mining industry.

It said the disaster would affect jobs as a result of the total shut down of the operations of Maxam Ghana Limited. 

 “We are particularly happy about government’s bold decision to rebuild the Appiatse Community and would therefore like to use this opportunity to call on all well-meaning Ghanaians and corporate bodies/institutions to join hands with the government to enable us all put smiles on the faces of our brothers and sisters in the Appiatse community and help them pull through this disaster in the shortest time possible,” the statement read.

The GMWU appealed to well-meaning Ghanaians and corporate institutions to join hands with the governmentto support survivors of the disaster and residents of the community to rebuild within the shortest possible time.

The statement stressed the need for deliberate policy on health and safety awareness among Ghanaians and the need to integrate health and safety into all spheres of our national life as a measure to curb future disasters.

It called on the government to formulate policies or legislations to ensure health and safety was given national prominence and greater attention in the country.

The union commended the government and the relevant state agencies for the swift response since the accident.

An explosion at Appiatse near Bogoso in the PresteaHuni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region, last Thursday saw 13 people losing their lives.

The incident which involved a truck carrying explosives, destroyed properties running into millions of Ghana Cedis, claimed 13 lives and left 159 people injured.

Currently, the community has received condolences and cash donations from well-meaning Ghanaians, to alleviate their suffering.

BY KINGSLEY ASARE

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