Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Grid Company Ltd. (GRIDCo), Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, has underscored the importance of collectively creating a safe and healthy working environment in Ghana.
He urged management and staff to highly prioritise safety, taking responsibility for safety performance and championing safety and healthy lifestyles in all GRIDCo facilities.
Mr. Essienyi made this crucial call in a speech read on his behalf by Ing. Mark Awuah-Baah, Director-Southern Network Department, GRIDCo, at a corporate safety durbar at the company’s head office in Tema under the theme ‘A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work’.
According to him, the company’s safety culture has improved, and must keep improving further – adding that: “We all have a role to play in creating a safe and healthy working environment in all GRIDCo facilities”.
Ing. Essienyi indicated one of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8.8) targets relates to health and safety at the workplace – which states that by 2030 employers must “protect Labour rights and promote safe and secure working environment of all workers, including migrant workers, particularly women migrants, and those in precarious employment”.
“That is exactly what this year’s theme is emphasising. The theme reinforces some of the provisions in the Labour Acts 2003 (Act 651) sections 9(c), 10 (a), 118 (1) which impose a duty on employers to take all practicable steps to ensure the worker is free from risk of personal injury, or damage to his or her health, during the worker’s employment or while lawfully on the employer’s premises.”
Ing. Essienyi, pledged management will do its best to ensure that GRIDCo creates a safe and healthy working environment, by ensuring a regular inspection are carried out at all work locations, provide needed tools, equipment, and training to meet the mandate stated under the core values, and provide the needed resources to implement all the recommendations in the safety inspection/ audit reports.
He also tasked the Safety Management Team of GRIDCo to strive to implement initiatives required to create a safe and healthy workplace such as conduct consistent work area inspections and eliminate potential hazards, proper training of staff, contractors complying with the provisions in the contractor safety manual, staff have requisite PPEs and continue to install safety signages and messages.
Ing. Essienyi noted “we are committed to providing all the resources needed within the constraints of our cash flow. Let us be responsible for our health, overall well-being, and our safety”.
The durbar, which climaxes GRIDCo’s annual safety awareness celebrations, had several health and safety-focused activities such as breast cancer awareness campaign, interdepartmental safety quiz, a health walk along with families and a GRIDCo goes pink campaign.
The company recognised Ghana National Fire Service, Tema Region; and Ben Smith, an engineer with the Accra Operational Area, topped in the safety quiz. Four of the staff were celebrated for safety recognition awards, a new award introduced by the Safety Management Team
These include ‘firefighting’ won by Joe Paa Kwesi Blankson; ‘Incidents and Accidents reporting’ goes to George Seidu Ayona; ‘Saving Lives’- Partrick Adae Ahunya; and ‘Housing Keeping’ – Alexander Emmanuel Frimpong.
About 18 safety coordinators were presented with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certificates.
For Work Area Safety Committee (WASACO) awards, the Engineering Department emerged as winner with the System Operations Department second. Tamale was top for operational areas, with Prestea and Techiman in second and third position respectively.
