The Chief Executive Officer for the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr. Sulemanu Koney, has disclosed that there has been an increase in injury-related cases in Ghana’s mining industry.
According to Dr. Sulemanu, all categories of injuries increased, except two categories.
“All classes of reportable injuries increased year-on-year, except near-misses and serious injuries. The frequency of near-miss incidents declined from 325 in 2022 to 254 in 2023, translating into a downturn of 21.8 percent.”
The CEO of the Chamber of Mines made these revelations at the 2024 National Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition, which was held at Asante Gold Chirano Ltd. at Chirano, inthe Western North region,under the theme: ‘Safety! Our Collective Responsibility.’
Held under the auspices of Asante Gold Chirano Ltd, Chamber of Mines and St. Johns Ambulance, the competing mining companies were; AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Ltd., Golden Star Wassa Ltd., Preseus Mining (Ghana) Ltd. and Asante Gold Chirano Ltd.
Sulemanu indicated that the first aid injuries recorded an uptick from 2022 to 2023. “On the other hand, the number of first aid injuries increased from 156 in 2022 to 162 in 2023.
Touching on serious injuries, Sulemanu Koney disclosed that serious injuries recorded a downward trend but fatal incidents worsened.
“Four out of the seven fatal incidents were related to contractor activities, and the remaining three were due to the activities of a mining leaseholder.”
He disclosed, “Further, the frequency of serious injuries, which involve injuries that lead to loss of a shift of more than 14 days, declined by 34.6 percent to 17 in 2023 from 26 in 2022.
“However, the cases of fatal incidents worsened from one in 2022 to seven in 2023, which represents a deterioration of 600 percent,” Dr. Koney stated.
In view of this, Koney implored the mining industry to be safety conscious, emphasising every worker must work in a safety environment.
“We must ensure that every worker is safe within the operational area. Because of these worrying statistics, the Chamber initiated the safety webinar, which has so far received massive participation from members and contractors alike.
In view of this, Koney asked the industry that all members continue to show interest in their safety webinars to keep abreast of current safety practices and information, adding that the relevance of mining operations to communities and the importance to ensure a safe and healthy working environment and a safe community.
Sulemanu Koney told the function that the industry will continue to involve their community members, especially women, in the safety competitions to ensure alignment with our safety goals and culture, stating that the practical nature of the competition will educate us on measures to take in case of an accident, either at home or at the workplace.
The Chamber of Mines CEO reminded the industry players that accidents and emergencies can happen at any time and at any place, and being prepared can make the difference between life and death.
In a competition whereby Preseus Mining (Ghana) Ltd won the first position with the second runners-up being AngloGold Ashanti IduapriemLtd., as Golden Star Wassa Ltd. and Asante Gold Chirano Ltd. emerged third and fourth respectively.
Dr. Koney told the participants that it is meant to improve their knowledge in first aid by demonstrating practical measures to save lives and mitigate injuries during accidents.
“The Chamber and its members are committed to fostering a safety culture across all mining operations, ensuring that every worker returns home safely to their families at the end of each day.
