By Alfred Adams
The Sekondi-Takoradi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (STCCI), in partnership with the Australian High Commission Ghana and the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre (MISHC) of the University of Queensland, Australia, has ended a 10-day training programme.
It was aimed at equipping 35 young graduates in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis with the right knowledge, skills and tools for developing Health Safety and Environment (HSE) management systems in companies and organisations.
The graduates of the programme, who are referred to as HSE coaches/advisers, will be assigned to small and medium enterprises (SME) member firms of the chamber and other companies, and tasked with the responsibility of providing technical advice and support to guide them develop and establish safety management systems as required of industry.
Topics discussed include hazard identification and risk identification, communication, decision-making and management, performance management and systems validation, and introduction to small scale mines framework among others.
Mr. Ato Van-Ess, Chairman of the STCCI, speaking at the end of the training programme, explained that this was part of the chamber’s business development programmes and interventions to support local businesses to develop the requisite capacities, especially, in the areas of health, safety and quality, so as to enable them participate meaningfully in the extractive industry supply chain.
He noted that currently, local companies in the region found it difficult to participate in the supply chain servicing large companies, since they do not meet the required standards for health and safety management systems. “Having an effective and proactive health and safety management system is now a pre-requisite for providing services in [the] oil, gas, mining and energy sectors,” he said.
He pointed out that this issue particularly affects SMEs, as they do not have the resources or skills to develop and implement effective HSE management systems. According to Mr. Van-Ess, the STCCI has an HSE Learning and Quality Center in Takoradi to provide multimedia training for employees, contractors and sub-contractors in the extractive industry to ensure competency.
The training, he said, was built on the Houston Area safety Council (HASC) infrastructure, and supported by the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago. “Through HASC, the center has access to a wide range of existing training units and other safety councils/training providers,” he added.
Capt. Anthony Cudjoe (Rtd), Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) Chief Executive, in an address read for him, lauded the STCCCI for such an initiative, and added that the HSE had become very important in almost all work places across the country.
“HSE issues should not be compromised at all – most projects carried out in the metropolis will have to pass through [a] health and safety desk at the assembly before it is approved,” he said.
He further said this was to ensure that projects carried out are safe and environmentally friendly for the people in the metropolis, as the STMA will always be concerned about the activities of the STCCI, and urged the participants to impart the knowledge acquired to their colleagues, as well as attract more businesses into the metropolis.
Mr. Richard Bentil, Chairman for the training programme, expressed the hope that the young graduates will be HSE ambassadors, “as the training will enable us inculcate HSE in our daily activities, especially SMEs, so they can be able to bid for international contracts.”
Danellie Lynas, Trainer of the programme and an Associate Prof. at the University of Queensland, Australia, said the training had been successful, and encouraged the participants to be HSE ambassadors for all.