Prioritise safety to improve productivity … GCM CEO urges mining coys
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Kenneth Ashigbey, has urged mining companies to prioritise safety at their operational sites to improve productivity and protect lives.
According to him, no production target, operational milestone or business objective was worth the loss of a single life, stressing that every worker who left home for work must return safely at the end of the day.
Mr Ashigbey made the call at the 2025 Mine Performance Awards and the launch of the 2026 Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition held in Accra last Saturday.
He noted that safety remained the foundation of responsible mining, saying without safety there could be no sustainable productivity, operational excellence or social licence to operate.
Mr Ashigbey disclosed that the mining industry recorded an improvement in its safety performance in 2025, with fatalities reduced by more than 50 per cent to three cases.
Despite the improvement, he expressed concern over the loss of lives, stressing that even one fatality was unacceptable.
“When you look at the numbers, you may say we achieved more than a 50 per cent improvement, but can you imagine if the three people who lost their lives were you or I? That is still too many,” he stated.
He revealed that although the industry was only in the fifth month of 2026, two fatalities had already been recorded, describing the development as unfortunate and painful.
Mr Ashigbey said the industry also recorded 34 serious accidents and 210 first aid accidents in 2025, indicating that much work still needed to be done to strengthen workplace safety.
He therefore called on mining companies to intensify efforts at improving supervision, workforce training and safety culture across all levels of operations and urged companies to adopt technology-driven solutions to improve safety standards and reduce workplace incidents.
Touching on contractor safety, he noted that a significant number of incidents continued to occur within contractor operations.
He appealed to mining companies to work closely with contractors to ensure that safety standards, policies and operational procedures were uniformly applied.
“Safety standards cannot be different for employees and contractors. Everyone on our mine sites must operate under the same uncompromising commitment to safety,” he stressed.
Mr Ashigbey also announced that the Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition would undergo reforms next year to improve participation and make it more responsive to evolving industry and community safety needs.
He encouraged mining firms to strengthen support for community safety brigades, describing them as important ambassadors for emergency preparedness and public safety awareness.
The Chief Inspector of Mines, Mr Joseph Frimpong, in his remarks, reiterated the need for mining companies to place safety at the centre of their operations.
He said accidents were largely caused by unsafe acts and conditions and urged mining companies to invest more resources into preventive measures.
Mr Frimpong also raised concerns over increasing fatalities involving contractors and called for stricter enforcement of safety standards within the sector.
The 2026 Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition was officially launched under the theme: ‘Safety First, Safety Always.’
The award categories included Best Mines on Occupational Injury Statistics, Best Improved Mine, Mined Based on Mine Safety, Health and Environmental Audit, Best Mine on Safety and First Aid, Best Community Team and First Aid.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
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