Assessment of Rescue Facilities and Personnel in the Ghanaian Underground Mines

Authors

  • Sylvester Yenzanya UMaT
  • Newton Amegbey UMaT, Tarkwa

Keywords:

Mine Rescue, Ghanaian Regulations, Emergency Response, Rescue Personnel

Abstract

Mine rescue was formally introduced in Ghana in the early 1960s by the then Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) and the practice has been adopted for most mineral projects in Ghana. Today, there are six large scale underground mines in Ghana with more than 100 permanent and volunteer rescue personnel trained and equipped for rescue operations. This paper seeks to assess the qualification of rescue personnel and the adequacy of the rescue facilities in these mines. The paper adopted Gap Analysis method to assess the Mines to see the extent to which they conform to the requirements in the Minerals and Mining (Health, Safety and Technical) Regulations of Ghana as well as international practices. From the study, Ghanaian mines practice Mine-owned rescue system and that all the mines have organised rescue team(s) on site. Using the Chirano Gold Mines Limited and Newmont Ahafo Project as case studies, it was observed that both mines conform to most of the regulations on emergency response and have the basic response facilities and resources for rescue operations. It is recommended that mine regulators review some of the regulations on emergency response or provide guidelines and schedules to improve upon the rescue practices in Ghana.

Author Biography

Sylvester Yenzanya, UMaT

Mining Engineering Department, Assistant Lecturer

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Published

2018-06-28