Story: Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
The Tema Magistrate's Court hearing the case in which six people have been charged for allegedly burning a 72-year-old woman, leading to her death, has again adjourned the case to May 23, 2011 to await advice on the docket from the Attorney-General’s (A-G’s) Department.
The trial magistrate, Mrs Johana Yankson, who was not amused at the slow pace at which the case was travelling, did not mince words when the prosecution made the request for an adjournment.
She cautioned that the fact that similar cases had been pending in various courts awaiting advice on dockets from the AG’s Department did not mean that any delay on dockets should be accepted as a norm.
Counsel for the six accused persons, Mr William Lumor, was not in court when the case was called.
The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Emmanuel Addai, told the court that the docket was sent to the AG’s Department for advice in December 2010 after the police had received the pathologist report on the deceased.
He said checks at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Registry revealed that the docket was still receiving attention at the AG’s Department and pleaded for more time.
Mrs Yankson, however, objected but adjourned the case for two weeks because counsel for the accused did not turn up.
She further tasked the prosecutor to follow up and report accordingly to the court on the next adjourned date.
The principal suspect, Samuel Ghunney, in a dramatic twist, ran after the Daily Graphic photographer, Ms Roseline Abban, for attempting to take photographs of him outside the court premises.
A fear-stricken Ms Abban ran to Mr Kwamena Ofosu Yeboah, the son of the deceased, Ama Ahimah, who was also in court to observe proceedings, to avoid being attacked by the suspect.
“So you people do not have any work to do apart from taking photographs of me to be posted onto BBC?” Ghunney asked.
The suspects, Ghunney, a 50-year-old photographer, and Emelia Opoku, a 37-year-old teacher, with the support of Samuel Fletcher Sagoe, 55, an evangelist; Nancy Nana Ama Akrofie, 46; Hannah Sagoe and Mary Sagoe, 52, were alleged to have tortured and set ablaze the old woman, leading to her death, when she strayed into their compound at Community One, Site 7 in Tema.
The deceased, Ama Ahimah, a native of Ajumako Asassan in the Central Region, was said to have been doused with kerosene laced with petrol and set ablaze on November 20, 2010. She passed on a day later.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
FACTOR LOCAL CONTENT IN NATIONAL ICT, DAILY GRAPHIC, MAY 12, 2011 (Centre Spread)
Story: Charles Benoni Okine & Della Russel Ocloo
Communications Minister, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has called on the national Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy Review Task Force to incorporate local content in the ICT policy to provide a better platform for local companies to participate actively in the sector.
He said local companies had been largely left out of the booming ICT sector and underscored the need for the new policy to provide opportunities for them.
Mr Iddrisu made the call at the launch of the National ICT Policy Review Forum in Accra Wednesday. The two-day forum, which is being attended by experts in the sector, will consider policies on cyber security, broadband policy, geo-information and ICT, climate change and the environment.
According to the minister, a World Bank study had revealed that there was a boost of 1.38 percentage points to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for every 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration.
Presently in Ghana, broadband penetration stands at about five per cent and it is expected to grow faster in the coming years with the entry of optic fibre networks such as Main One, Glo 1, as well as MTN.
“Having made significant strides in expanding telephone subscription to over 17 million and growing, Ghana should now be focusing on broadband penetration to ensure efficient Internet services in the country,” Mr Iddrisu said.
“Today, the e-Government Network Infrastructure project to provide broadband access for the districts is ready,” he added.
The National Communications Backbone Company has terrestrial fibre optic transmission network that runs from Accra through Takoradi, Kumasi, Sunyani and Wa to Paga and Tamale and back to Accra through Techiman, Kumasi, Nkawkaw, Ho, Akosombo and Tema.
The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, in a speech read on his behalf by the Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo, commended the ministry’s decision to review the policy to cover new areas.
According to him, the development of broadband policy was necessary to satisfy universal obligations and promote efficiency of use.
He indicated that climate change and the environment required the development of new policies that would improve technology transfer, mitigation and adaptation.
On cyber security, Mr Mahama said over 24 high-profile cyber attacks were reported in the first three months of 2011, with the EU, the Australian Parliament and several organisations falling victim.
That, he said, was an indication for the development of a comprehensive security policy, along with reporting mechanisms, to discourage such illegalities.
The Chairman of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Professor Nii Narku Quaynor, expressed regret that Internet penetration had become less attractive, although Ghana pioneered the approach, and called for a periodic review of the country’s ICT policies.
The United Nation’s Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director for Ghana, Mr Kamil Kamaludeen, for his part, urged the task force to again take a critical look at the regulatory framework to anticipate the future development of the sector, while considering infrastructure to take care of the interests of all sectors of the economy.
Communications Minister, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has called on the national Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy Review Task Force to incorporate local content in the ICT policy to provide a better platform for local companies to participate actively in the sector.
He said local companies had been largely left out of the booming ICT sector and underscored the need for the new policy to provide opportunities for them.
Mr Iddrisu made the call at the launch of the National ICT Policy Review Forum in Accra Wednesday. The two-day forum, which is being attended by experts in the sector, will consider policies on cyber security, broadband policy, geo-information and ICT, climate change and the environment.
According to the minister, a World Bank study had revealed that there was a boost of 1.38 percentage points to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for every 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration.
Presently in Ghana, broadband penetration stands at about five per cent and it is expected to grow faster in the coming years with the entry of optic fibre networks such as Main One, Glo 1, as well as MTN.
“Having made significant strides in expanding telephone subscription to over 17 million and growing, Ghana should now be focusing on broadband penetration to ensure efficient Internet services in the country,” Mr Iddrisu said.
“Today, the e-Government Network Infrastructure project to provide broadband access for the districts is ready,” he added.
The National Communications Backbone Company has terrestrial fibre optic transmission network that runs from Accra through Takoradi, Kumasi, Sunyani and Wa to Paga and Tamale and back to Accra through Techiman, Kumasi, Nkawkaw, Ho, Akosombo and Tema.
The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, in a speech read on his behalf by the Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo, commended the ministry’s decision to review the policy to cover new areas.
According to him, the development of broadband policy was necessary to satisfy universal obligations and promote efficiency of use.
He indicated that climate change and the environment required the development of new policies that would improve technology transfer, mitigation and adaptation.
On cyber security, Mr Mahama said over 24 high-profile cyber attacks were reported in the first three months of 2011, with the EU, the Australian Parliament and several organisations falling victim.
That, he said, was an indication for the development of a comprehensive security policy, along with reporting mechanisms, to discourage such illegalities.
The Chairman of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Professor Nii Narku Quaynor, expressed regret that Internet penetration had become less attractive, although Ghana pioneered the approach, and called for a periodic review of the country’s ICT policies.
The United Nation’s Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director for Ghana, Mr Kamil Kamaludeen, for his part, urged the task force to again take a critical look at the regulatory framework to anticipate the future development of the sector, while considering infrastructure to take care of the interests of all sectors of the economy.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
WESTERN STEEL CLOSED DOWN AFTER SERIES OF EXPLOSION
THE Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare has ordered the immediate closure of Western Steel and Forgings Limited for a period of one month.
This is to ensure that the managers of the company adhere to health and safety instructions which are statutory requirements for the establishment of factories.
The Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, gave the order when he toured the factory at the Kpone Industrial Area in Tema yesterday.
The minister, accompanied by the acting Factory Inspector, Mr Felix Adjei Boye, met the management of the company, in the presence of the national executive of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Chief Labour Officer and officials of the Ghana Employers Association (GEA).
The order to the management to close down the factory comes on the heels of four explosions at the factory since February 2011 which have claimed the life of one worker and injured 15 others.
The explosions occurred on February 1, April 21, 22 and 30, 2011. Reports indicated that they were caused by inadequate safety measures and procedures.
Mr Mensah chastised officials of Western Steel for maximising profit without taking adequate measures to ensure the safety of workers.
“It is for this reason that the Labour Unit of the ministry must take up this issue seriously to serve as a test case to others,” he said.
A technical team from the Factories Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, led by Mr Boye, had, on Tuesday, visited the premises of Western Steel, after the division had come under fire from the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) for its failure to ensure safety measures.
The GFL also petitioned the Ministry of Employment to close down the factory with immediate effect to compel its management to put in proper safety measures.
Mr Mensah said an amended Factory’s Act would be ready by the end of the year which would make provisions for sanctions against recalcitrant factory owners who took employees for a ride.
The three-member management team of the company, made up of Mr Pius Tamakloe, the Managing Director; Sibnath Bhandophaty, the Chief Operation Officer, and Nana Tamakloe, the Corporate Affairs Director, was distraught at the minister’s verdict and would not answer further queries from the media regarding the explosions.
The minister recommended that all cylinders, pressure vessels and leaking equipment be examined properly by a certified engineer.
The Greater Accra Regional Factory Inspector, Mr Ohene Mensah, told the minister that preliminary investigations conducted by the division had revealed that residual oil and other gases that could lead to explosion were not adequately catered for, while employees were equally not properly protected.
“We also observed that there was over-exerted pressure on the furnace, while the gauges of cylinders were not reading accurately,” Mr Mensah said.
According to him, the technical team that inspected the factory further observed that cylinders and pressure vessels were not tested, as required by the law.
The team further observed that house-keeping at the furnace platform was poor, while the furnace itself was not well protected, leaving gas, hot air, fumes and other emissions to interact freely in the working environment.
Mr Mensah said the team also found that the overhead crane operator cage was enclosed, while the absence of bins resulted in scrap metals being deposited haphazardly at the furnace platform.
The President of the AGI, Nana Owusu Afari, called on the ministry to adequately resource the inspectorate division to ensure that proper monitoring mechanisms were adopted as preventable means against the any untoward occurrences.
Source: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, May 6, 2011
WORK PLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY, FOURTH EXPLOSION AT WESTERN STEEL, DAILY GRAPHIC, WED MAY 4, 2011 (FRONT LEAD)
Story: Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
Another explosion, the fourth since February 2011, has rocked Western Steel and Forgings Limited in the Kpone Industrial Area in Tema, injuring another employee of the company.
The victim, Mr Martin Gyekye, 43, sustained severe injuries to his face and some parts of his body at the melting plant where the latest explosion occurred.
He is currently on admission at the Narh-Bita Hospital.
The latest incident occurred about 2 p.m. Saturday, following similar explosions at the factory on February 1, Thursday, April 21 and Good Friday, April 22, 2011 which injured 13 employees, one of whom died later at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Unconfirmed reports suggested that the material put into the furnace for melting was not properly screened to ensure the absence of any explosive material which might have caused the latest explosion.
Company officials have, meanwhile, mounted surveillance on Mr Gyakyi to prevent the media from having access to him.
When the Daily Graphic visited the Narh-Bita Hospital where he and other victims are on admission, the company officials who were at the hospital at the time of the visit denied the paper access to the victims’ wards.
A technical team from the Factories Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, led by the acting Chief Factory Inspector, Mr Adjei Boye, yesterday visited the premises of Western Steel, after the division had come under fire from the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) for its failure to ensure safety measures.
The GFL also petitioned the Ministry of Employment to close down the factory with immediate effect to compel its management to put in proper safety measures.
The General Secretary of the federation, Mr Abraham Koomson, who has been following up on the victims at the hospital, expressed disgust at the failure of the authorities of Western Steel to report the incident to the labour union.
He was not happy at the unco-operative attitude of officials of the company who had failed to make comments on the incident.
Mr Adjei Boye told the Daily Graphic that the team was compiling its report for submission to the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare and would, therefore, not want to prejudice the decision of the ministry.
The Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, said a decision on whether or not to close the factory would be informed by the recommendations of the technical team.
Mr Mensah is expected to visit the factory today to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, the management of the company has embarked on a massive clean up of its premises in anticipation of the minister’s visit.
Another explosion, the fourth since February 2011, has rocked Western Steel and Forgings Limited in the Kpone Industrial Area in Tema, injuring another employee of the company.
The victim, Mr Martin Gyekye, 43, sustained severe injuries to his face and some parts of his body at the melting plant where the latest explosion occurred.
He is currently on admission at the Narh-Bita Hospital.
The latest incident occurred about 2 p.m. Saturday, following similar explosions at the factory on February 1, Thursday, April 21 and Good Friday, April 22, 2011 which injured 13 employees, one of whom died later at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Unconfirmed reports suggested that the material put into the furnace for melting was not properly screened to ensure the absence of any explosive material which might have caused the latest explosion.
Company officials have, meanwhile, mounted surveillance on Mr Gyakyi to prevent the media from having access to him.
When the Daily Graphic visited the Narh-Bita Hospital where he and other victims are on admission, the company officials who were at the hospital at the time of the visit denied the paper access to the victims’ wards.
A technical team from the Factories Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, led by the acting Chief Factory Inspector, Mr Adjei Boye, yesterday visited the premises of Western Steel, after the division had come under fire from the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) for its failure to ensure safety measures.
The GFL also petitioned the Ministry of Employment to close down the factory with immediate effect to compel its management to put in proper safety measures.
The General Secretary of the federation, Mr Abraham Koomson, who has been following up on the victims at the hospital, expressed disgust at the failure of the authorities of Western Steel to report the incident to the labour union.
He was not happy at the unco-operative attitude of officials of the company who had failed to make comments on the incident.
Mr Adjei Boye told the Daily Graphic that the team was compiling its report for submission to the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare and would, therefore, not want to prejudice the decision of the ministry.
The Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, said a decision on whether or not to close the factory would be informed by the recommendations of the technical team.
Mr Mensah is expected to visit the factory today to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, the management of the company has embarked on a massive clean up of its premises in anticipation of the minister’s visit.
ILLICIT DRUGS WORTH £214m SEIZED At KOTOKA, DAILY GRAPHIC, TUE APRIL 5, 2011, (BACK PAGE)
Story: Della Russel Ocloo
Illicit drugs totalling £214 million have been seized at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) since the introduction of the Operation Westbridge project in 2007.
Operation Westbridge was set up by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) of the British Government, in conjunction with the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) of Ghana, to arrest drug smugglers who used the KIA as a gateway to the United Kingdom (UK) and other European countries.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Executive Secretary of NACOB, Mr Yaw Akrasi-Sarpong, said the programme was aimed at giving technical and operational expertise to Ghana’s intelligence operatives to deal with the drug trade.
Prior to the introduction of the project, the West African sub-region was classified as a region for class ‘A’ drugs by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Annual Drugs Report, 2006.
According to Mr Akrasi-Sarpong, the project had brought about a significant improvement, particularly in the area of organised crimes and narcotics.
He indicated that although the installation of a body scanner at the airport had also limited trafficking, the increased volume of flight schedules had seen the profiling of travellers becoming enormously difficult.
He said the system where airline operational offices were also located inside the departure halls, with people accompanying travellers into the halls for no apparent reason, also needed to be examined thoroughly.
Mr Akrasi-Sarpong said the intelligence community ought to come up with a comprehensive programme and project that would bring meat to government policies on drug trade, while making sure airport security was of topmost priority over commerce.
“If one was entering the Castle (seat of government), there were various security processes one had to go through,” he noted and wondered why the situation at the airport was different.
“It is for this reason that NACOB has submitted a proposal to the government for the installation of an additional body scanner at the VVIP section to check abuse of the unit, for which the government has pledged to release funds shortly,” he explained.
Although concerns had been raised over the malfunctioning of close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the airport which people believed was a major setback in the fight against the narcotics trade, Mr Akrasi-Sarpong was optimistic that the Ghana Airport Company, as the owners of the facility, would adequately address the issue.
He said persons working at the KIA must be made to have backgrounds in security intelligence, as the current situation where employees had limited knowledge was not encouraging.
Expatiating, he said the practice whereby people manning strategic points at the airport indiscriminately moved from their desks also ought to be checked.
Mr Akrasi-Sarpong said plans were underway by the board to install security technology at various points that would give NACOB and its collaborative agencies an insight into everyday occurrences at the airport.
Illicit drugs totalling £214 million have been seized at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) since the introduction of the Operation Westbridge project in 2007.
Operation Westbridge was set up by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) of the British Government, in conjunction with the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) of Ghana, to arrest drug smugglers who used the KIA as a gateway to the United Kingdom (UK) and other European countries.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Executive Secretary of NACOB, Mr Yaw Akrasi-Sarpong, said the programme was aimed at giving technical and operational expertise to Ghana’s intelligence operatives to deal with the drug trade.
Prior to the introduction of the project, the West African sub-region was classified as a region for class ‘A’ drugs by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Annual Drugs Report, 2006.
According to Mr Akrasi-Sarpong, the project had brought about a significant improvement, particularly in the area of organised crimes and narcotics.
He indicated that although the installation of a body scanner at the airport had also limited trafficking, the increased volume of flight schedules had seen the profiling of travellers becoming enormously difficult.
He said the system where airline operational offices were also located inside the departure halls, with people accompanying travellers into the halls for no apparent reason, also needed to be examined thoroughly.
Mr Akrasi-Sarpong said the intelligence community ought to come up with a comprehensive programme and project that would bring meat to government policies on drug trade, while making sure airport security was of topmost priority over commerce.
“If one was entering the Castle (seat of government), there were various security processes one had to go through,” he noted and wondered why the situation at the airport was different.
“It is for this reason that NACOB has submitted a proposal to the government for the installation of an additional body scanner at the VVIP section to check abuse of the unit, for which the government has pledged to release funds shortly,” he explained.
Although concerns had been raised over the malfunctioning of close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the airport which people believed was a major setback in the fight against the narcotics trade, Mr Akrasi-Sarpong was optimistic that the Ghana Airport Company, as the owners of the facility, would adequately address the issue.
He said persons working at the KIA must be made to have backgrounds in security intelligence, as the current situation where employees had limited knowledge was not encouraging.
Expatiating, he said the practice whereby people manning strategic points at the airport indiscriminately moved from their desks also ought to be checked.
Mr Akrasi-Sarpong said plans were underway by the board to install security technology at various points that would give NACOB and its collaborative agencies an insight into everyday occurrences at the airport.
FIVE EXPLOSION VICTIMS DISCHARGED, DAILY GRAPHIC, TUE APRIL 26, 2011 (CENTER SPREAD)
Story: Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
Five victims of the explosion which occurred at the Western Steel and Forging Limited at the Kpone Industrial Area, Tema, last week have been discharged from hospital after undergoing treatment for burns suffered in the incident.
Messrs Richard Adu, Precious Kpormego, Robert Asmah, Ernest Addotei and another who is yet to be identified were treated for minor burns on their hands and other parts of the body at the Narh-Bita Hospital in Tema.
Five others, namely, Chandirka Bhagt, an Indian technician; Richard Nartey, Tetteh Ago, William Nuamah and Ebenezer Lamptey, all machine shop operators, are still on admission at the same hospital.
Two other employees, Messrs David Atsagli and Joseph Nortey, who were rushed to the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre and the Intensive Care Unit, respectively, of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in a second explosion at the Oxygen Plant at the factory on Good Friday, are said to be in stable condition.
The Tema Regional Police Command has since launched investigations into the incident.
The Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Augustine Gyening, told the Daily Graphic that although the company’s officials were yet to lodge an official complaint with the police, the command had visited the scenes of the incidents and were gathering further information on the disaster.
The Public Relations Officer of the Tema Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Mr Timothy Affum, for his part, said since no report had officially been made to his outfit, no decision had been taken on conducting any investigations into the incident.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) and its affiliate body, the General Manufacturers Metal Workers Union (GEM), will today hold talks with the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare on the failure of the Factories Inspectorate Division of the ministry to undertake regular inspections to ensure that employers safeguard the safety of employees at all workplaces.
Five victims of the explosion which occurred at the Western Steel and Forging Limited at the Kpone Industrial Area, Tema, last week have been discharged from hospital after undergoing treatment for burns suffered in the incident.
Messrs Richard Adu, Precious Kpormego, Robert Asmah, Ernest Addotei and another who is yet to be identified were treated for minor burns on their hands and other parts of the body at the Narh-Bita Hospital in Tema.
Five others, namely, Chandirka Bhagt, an Indian technician; Richard Nartey, Tetteh Ago, William Nuamah and Ebenezer Lamptey, all machine shop operators, are still on admission at the same hospital.
Two other employees, Messrs David Atsagli and Joseph Nortey, who were rushed to the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre and the Intensive Care Unit, respectively, of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in a second explosion at the Oxygen Plant at the factory on Good Friday, are said to be in stable condition.
The Tema Regional Police Command has since launched investigations into the incident.
The Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Augustine Gyening, told the Daily Graphic that although the company’s officials were yet to lodge an official complaint with the police, the command had visited the scenes of the incidents and were gathering further information on the disaster.
The Public Relations Officer of the Tema Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Mr Timothy Affum, for his part, said since no report had officially been made to his outfit, no decision had been taken on conducting any investigations into the incident.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) and its affiliate body, the General Manufacturers Metal Workers Union (GEM), will today hold talks with the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare on the failure of the Factories Inspectorate Division of the ministry to undertake regular inspections to ensure that employers safeguard the safety of employees at all workplaces.
EXPLOSION INJURED 13, MON, APRIL 25, 2011, DAILY GRAPHIC, Front C
Story & Pictures: Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
TWO separate explosions which occurred at the Western Steel and Forging Limited at the Kpone Industrial Area, Tema, last week have caused serious injuries to 13 employees of the company.
The two incidents which occurred at the Melting and Oxygen plants of the company on Thursday and on Good Friday respectively left the genitals of one of the employees identified only as Nortey completely severed while another victim, identified as David Adzakli, had a metal lodged in his chest.
The two victims, whose conditions are said to be critical, are receiving attention at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra while the remaining 11 are on admission at the Narh-Bita Hospital in Tema.
The 11 are Richard Nartey, Tettteh Ago, Robert Asmah and William Nuamah. Others are Adu, Ernest Addotei, Ebenezer Lamptey, Precious Kpormego, all melting shop assistants, and Charndika Bhagt, a technician from India.
The incident is the third in a row since the beginning of the year. A similar incident which occurred at the factory on February 1, 2011 injured four employees.
One of the victims, Mr Nartey, said the first incident occurred about 7:30a.m. on Thursday when he and two others, including the technician, conveyed a disused caterpillar to the furnace to be melted.
He said in the process, they heard an unusual explosion from the machine, which later set a section of the premises ablaze.
Mr Nartey was of the view that there were some explosives in the caterpillar which were not properly disposed of.
The Corporate Affairs Director of the company, Nana Tamakloe, declined to comment on the incident.
The General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Mr Abraham Koomson, who visited the victims at the hospital, expressed disgust at the failure of the authorities of the company to report the incident to the police.
Mr Koomson, who was accompanied by Mr Caleb Nartey, the General Secretary of the General Manufacturers Metal Workers Union (GEM), said it was unfortunate the company’s management was unwilling to explain what might have caused the explosions.
According to him, the explosions raised serious concerns about safety in the country’s industries.
Quoting from the Labour Act, 2003, Act 651, Section 118, which clearly states that, “it is the duty of an employer to ensure that every worker employed by him works under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions, Mr Koomson said, the uncaring attitude of the company officials clearly demonstrated their disregard for laid-down regulations.
The Act further states that, “without limiting the scope of section 1, an employer shall (a) provide and maintain at the workplace, plants and systems of work that are safe and without risk to health; and (b) ensure the safety and absence of risks to help in connection with use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances.
Mr Koomson said those were major prerequisites for which the Factory’s Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare had to undertake regular inspections to ensure that they were in place at all workplaces to safeguard the safety of employees.
Unfortunately, he said, those regulations had been disregarded by both employers and the inspectorate division, thereby exposing workers in factories to such accidents like explosions.
When the Daily Graphic visited the factory about 11:am on Saturday, security personnel manning the entrance to the factory refused to allow this reporter entry to the premises.
TWO separate explosions which occurred at the Western Steel and Forging Limited at the Kpone Industrial Area, Tema, last week have caused serious injuries to 13 employees of the company.
The two incidents which occurred at the Melting and Oxygen plants of the company on Thursday and on Good Friday respectively left the genitals of one of the employees identified only as Nortey completely severed while another victim, identified as David Adzakli, had a metal lodged in his chest.
The two victims, whose conditions are said to be critical, are receiving attention at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra while the remaining 11 are on admission at the Narh-Bita Hospital in Tema.
The 11 are Richard Nartey, Tettteh Ago, Robert Asmah and William Nuamah. Others are Adu, Ernest Addotei, Ebenezer Lamptey, Precious Kpormego, all melting shop assistants, and Charndika Bhagt, a technician from India.
The incident is the third in a row since the beginning of the year. A similar incident which occurred at the factory on February 1, 2011 injured four employees.
One of the victims, Mr Nartey, said the first incident occurred about 7:30a.m. on Thursday when he and two others, including the technician, conveyed a disused caterpillar to the furnace to be melted.
He said in the process, they heard an unusual explosion from the machine, which later set a section of the premises ablaze.
Mr Nartey was of the view that there were some explosives in the caterpillar which were not properly disposed of.
The Corporate Affairs Director of the company, Nana Tamakloe, declined to comment on the incident.
The General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Mr Abraham Koomson, who visited the victims at the hospital, expressed disgust at the failure of the authorities of the company to report the incident to the police.
Mr Koomson, who was accompanied by Mr Caleb Nartey, the General Secretary of the General Manufacturers Metal Workers Union (GEM), said it was unfortunate the company’s management was unwilling to explain what might have caused the explosions.
According to him, the explosions raised serious concerns about safety in the country’s industries.
Quoting from the Labour Act, 2003, Act 651, Section 118, which clearly states that, “it is the duty of an employer to ensure that every worker employed by him works under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions, Mr Koomson said, the uncaring attitude of the company officials clearly demonstrated their disregard for laid-down regulations.
The Act further states that, “without limiting the scope of section 1, an employer shall (a) provide and maintain at the workplace, plants and systems of work that are safe and without risk to health; and (b) ensure the safety and absence of risks to help in connection with use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances.
Mr Koomson said those were major prerequisites for which the Factory’s Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare had to undertake regular inspections to ensure that they were in place at all workplaces to safeguard the safety of employees.
Unfortunately, he said, those regulations had been disregarded by both employers and the inspectorate division, thereby exposing workers in factories to such accidents like explosions.
When the Daily Graphic visited the factory about 11:am on Saturday, security personnel manning the entrance to the factory refused to allow this reporter entry to the premises.
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