They explained that following the gas explosion on May 9, 2017, at the Ghana Utilities Manufacturing Company (GHUMCO) Limited, popularly called Chinese, it had become necessary to be more safety and security conscious to avoid any emergency situation.

The members explained that even though they were not dealing directly in gas products, they were leaving no stone unturned to ensure sustainable safety and security within their working enclave.

Press briefing

Briefing the press on the Cirrus premises, the Coordinator of the committee, Mr Mark Henry Freeman, pointed out that the four companies decided to form the joint committee in 2012 and since then had been meeting once every month to deliberate on how to safeguard their enterprises.

"When it comes to work ethics and secrecy, we are independent but for safety and security matters there is nothing of the sort as we openly share ideas and strategise on how to ensure our collective safety and security," he stressed.

Mr Freeman, who is also the Legal and Corporate Affairs Manager of Cirrus Oil Services, said owing to the broad safety and security programmes put in place by the JMPC, some of the members were the first to be called upon when the gas explosion occurred and they had to respond quickly, since they were operating in the same working environment.

According to him, the committee had also been engaging the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) personnel to organise periodic fire sensitisation programmes for the community members on how to manage their domestic appliances and keep to safety and security measures.

Emergency fire plans

"We are managing risks every day and we share our emergency fire plans with the people. During Christmas periods, we also educate them on how to handle fire crackers to prevent fire outbreaks. In fact, our sensitisation efforts have been yielding fruitful results,” Mr Freeman assured.

In a presentation, the Terminal Manager of Cirrus, Mr Michael Saahene Kyeremateng, indicated that disaster could strike at any time but the committee was ever ready to deal with any emergency situation.

He disclosed that the company had a foam tank with the capacity of 4,500 litres that helped in fighting fire in case of an outbreak.

Mr Kyeremateng explained that all the other companies had similar safety and security installations which were needed before permits were issued.

The other committee members took turns to share their ideas on the adequate preparations and measures put in place to deal with fires.

Media men were later taken round the facility, including a 3.5 kilometre stretch of pipeline to the Takoradi Port.