ASSESSMENT OF SAFETY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AT ANKONAM BOAFO MINE

Safety management practices are of profound concern in the mining industry as
workers can not give out their best when their working environment is not safe. Mining
companies adopt a variety of practices to avert conditions which have the potential to
adversely affect the health and safety of workers. This paper assesses the safety management
practices at Ankonam Boafo Mine. The safety performance in the years 2010 and 2011 were
analysed to determine how effective the safety management practices adopted at the mine
have been. The results show that the mine has not been very successful since there are
instances where set targets of safety performance are exceeded. Infrequent safety auditing
causes workers to be off guard and lose safety consciousness with time, leading to poor
adherence to stipulated safety management practices. Thus, it is necessary that safety
management practices are regularly and effectively reviewed and the necessary adjustments
done for higher safety performance in subsequent years. Frequent and unannounced safety
auditing would keep workers on their toes, and this will enhance strict compliance to safety
policies for enhanced safety record.