AGA aims at ‘Zero Injuries’ of employees

Anglo Gold Ashanti, Obuasi mine, has over the years made tremendous progress in improvements in safety, health performance and practices.

Mr. Kwesi Enyan, Managing Director of the mine, who said this in a speech read for him at the mine’s 7th Inter-Departmental First Aid and Safety Competition, expressed the commitment to continue with these improvements till the mine was free of injury and illness.

“We aim to continue these improvements, in line with our long term goal of operating a business free of injury and illness,” he stressed.

He intimated that it was as a result of achieving zero injury of its employees that a new safety culture initiative dubbed “Boa me na me boa wo” had been introduced on the mine.

Under the initiative, the company hoped to overhaul and transform the safety practices at the mine to ensure zero injuries and zero fatality.

Mr. Enyan said to operationalise the concept, over sixty percent of its employees had been trained on how they could use the concepts of teamwork, independence, continuous improvements, and personal instincts to ensure zero injuries and zero fatality.

In addition, documentaries had been shown to reinforce the safety messages, whilst safety talks were organised for employees throughout the mine, every Tuesday.

Mr. Enyan said a special workshop on safety had been held for selected managers on the mine to further deepen the company’s commitment to safety.

“Together with these interventions, the safety and health department has been working tirelessly around the clock to strengthen further safety awareness,” the Managing Director said.

Mr. John Alexander Ackon, Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, commended Anglo Gold Ashanti for sustaining success in the First Aid and Safety Competition, stressing: “That is a demonstration of your commitment to the core value of the company.”

In all, 12 departments took part in the competition, with Processing emerging first with 405 points, followed by Main Security with 351 points, and Sustainable, with 343.5, points came third.