Gold Fields Ghana Tarkwa Mine Hosts Zone One 2026 Inter-Mine First Aid and Safety Competition

Organised by the Ghana Chamber of mines in collaboration with Minerals commission and Saint John’s Ambulance service, Participating teams in the zone included Heath Gold Fields, Anglogold Iduapriem mine, Ghana Manganese Company, Bibiani Mine and the host Goldfields Tarkwa Mine. 
The annual competition is designed to promote a strong safety culture in the mining industry while testing participants' knowledge, teamwork and ability to respond effectively to emergencies.
The teams took part in practical exercises, including first-aid treatment, emergency rescue procedures, accident-scene management and other safety-related activities. The event also provided an opportunity for participating teams to exchange ideas and learn from one another, with calls for continued investment in safety training, emergency equipment and workplace drills.
The exercises simulated conditions that workers may encounter at mining sites and required participants to demonstrate speed, accuracy and effective communication. Speaking at the event, The Gold Fields Tarkwa Mine Manager, Dr. Catherine Kuupol stressed that safety must remain a shared responsibility among employers, employees and all other stakeholders in the mining sector. She emphasized on the company’s commitment to ensuring safety in its host communities. 

”Our commitment to safety does not end at the mine gate. Gold Fields, Tarkwa Mine, recognises that we operate within communities whose wellbeing is connected to our own. The roads we use, the emergency services we rely on, the families we return to and the young people who look up to us are all part of one safety ecosystem.
That is why we continue to support safety awareness and emergency preparedness in our host communities. Through partnerships with institutions, community leaders, schools, emergency services, security agencies and local stakeholders, we are helping to build safer communities.
Our support for first aid and safety education, road safety awareness, psychosocial wellbeing initiatives, emergency simulations and public sensitisation programmes, reflects our purpose of creating enduring value beyond mining.
When communities are safety conscious, families are protected, livelihoods are preserved and development becomes more sustainable. Responsible mining is not only measured by ounces produced; it is also measured by the quality of life we help protect and improve in the communities which host us.” 

She shared that the event reflects the company's commitment to promoting responsible mining and ensuring that workers return home safely at the end of each working day while making safety personal. 

”I want to challenge each one of us to make safety personal. Whether you are an employee, a contractor, a supervisor, a manager, a community member, a driver, a student or a leader, safety begins with the choices we make every day.
Let us choose to plan before we act. Let us choose to speak up when something is unsafe.
Let us choose to obey procedures, wear the right personal protective equipment, verify controls, manage fatigue, respect speed limits, protect pedestrians, look after our mental wellbeing and care for one another. Let us choose not only to avoid harm, but to actively prevent it.
Gold Fields management is committed to providing the leadership, resources, systems and technology required to support safe work. But safety cannot be delegated to one department or one function. It must be owned by all of us. Every leader must lead safely.
Every supervisor must verify controls. Every worker must take responsibility. Every community member must help promote safe behaviour beyond the workplace.”

The host, Gold Fields Tarkwa mine believe that the theme “Safety First, Safety” always is a reminder that safety is not an event, a slogan, a campaign or a compliance requirement to be observed only when convenient rather a value, commitment and responsibility.

Source: Maame Yaa Abrafi

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Space FM.