Safety measures in the various sectors of Ghana have been relaxed with most regulatory bodies paying less to no attention to operators within their various spaces.
Government says 17 people have so far been confirmed dead in the explosion which occurred at Appiatse, along the Bogoso- Bawdie road in the Western Region.
A government statement also noted 59 people were injured in the explosion.
Preliminary reports from the government statement indicate the accident involved a truck conveying explosive material for a mining company, a motorcycle, and a third vehicle close to an electricity transformer, leading to the explosion.
Security Consultant at RICHQUEST Consult, Richard Kumadoe addressing punitive and safety regimes around the transporting of dynamites and other explosives says they have been relaxed and in some instances not practiced.
Shedding light on some of these measures, he stated, “according to the regulatory regimes you need to insure the transportation of explosives to carter for unforeseen misfortunes. We also have to educate the people around and in these mining communities. Thirdly we have to be circumspect in the sense that the mode of transporting these hazardous materials are safe. Are these hazardous materials being escorted by a motorcade? What time are they being transported and what is the nature of the car the materials are being transported in? Have you received authorization from the EPA and National Security? These are some of the things you need to do as part of transporting such materials. The question now is were these standards adhered to?” he queried in an interview with Sefah-Danquah on Happy98.9FM’s Epa Hoa Daben political talk show.
On his accord, reports reaching him indicate the same company responsible for the explosives suffered a similar accident in the Eastern Region some 9 months ago. He argues if this is really the case, the company has proven to be careless and has to be punished. “We need to revoke their license and make sure they rebuild the entire town for the damage they have caused.”
Richard Kumadoe charged government and regulatory bodies to revise the nation’s security management and public safety regulations, promoting cohesion between mining companies and the communities they operate in. “We also need to relook at the licenses of mining companies and encourage them to use technology and revise their modes of transporting explosives from one place to another.”
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