The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO) on Thursday, held a durbar to mark its safety week
celebration, with a call on its employees to know their rights and obligations about safety and take preventive measures on the job to avoid accidents.
In a speech read for him, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GRRIDCO,
Mr Charles Darku noted that, as a key engineering institution, it was expedient that the staff worked in a safety environment, to protect
themselves and the facilities, as the nation demand quality standards from them.
The week is being observed on the theme "Emerging risks and new patterns of prevention in the power sector"
Mr Darku impressed on them to ensure that their work ethics reinforce the belief that their operations are best practiced in a safe, healthy and secured environment, to enhance productivity, to make the enterprise more human capital thrive.
To achieve the maximum results at work, the CEO stressed on clearly defined responsibilities and duties, where the principle of prevention is accorded the highest priority and strictly complied with, together with sanctions for poor practices.
He assured that management would subject the staff to continuous training on safety, to enable them to approach their job responsibly and ensure a safety working environment at all times.
To maintain safety standards, Mr Darku announced that management has procured some equipment and interactive safety training modules for both maintenance and non maintenance staff.
He called on the operational heads to institute regular reviews of the job, to identify new threats that could endanger the safety,
security, health and the facilities, and also entreated the staff to be conversant with the handbook on the Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS).
This, he said, would help them to be abreast with the safety requirements, as the management is in the process of modernizing and expanding the transmission system infrastructure with new
equipment.
He reminded them that every work-related death, injury or illness is a preventable tragedy and therefore all must aim at minimizing
risks from their daily operations.
In a speech read for him, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo appealed to all citizens to expose people involved in
illegal electricity connections as well as those who steal cables, to serve as deterrents, in order to protect national properties.
Mr Jacob Brown Yawson, an engineer and the business/planning Manager of the Takoradi Thermal Power Station, called for closer collaboration of all stakeholders in the industry for technical advice in times of need, to ensure smooth operations.
Personnel from the Takoradi office of the National Fire Service put up a splendid simulation exercise to the admiration of the
audience.
GRIDCO was incorporated in December, 2006 as a private limited liability company under the companies' code, 1963, Act 179 and granted a certificate to commence business on December 18,
2006.
The company became operational on August 1, 2008 following the transfer of the core staff and power transmission assets from the Volta River Authority to GRIDCO.