GGMC to continue sensitisation on safe mining practices

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) continues to sensitise miners on safe mining practices as part of its 2017 work plan.

Acting Commissioner of the GGMC, Newell Dennison, said the regulatory body had intensified awareness on safe mining practices to curb incidences of mining deaths last year.

“This year we have to amplify our information and our ability to interact if we are going to avoid having people do some of the same things they continue to do to avoid fatalities,” Dennison told the Government Information Agency.

Special emphasis will be placed on occupational, safety and health and good mining practices. “We’ve got to get that message out: don’t undercut without clearing and de-bushing, don’t get too close to the pit wall and those things,” Dennison explained.

Miners have made requests to Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry Simona Broomes for more targeted workshops on “the dos and don’ts” of mining to help them improve their practices. The Minister has been travelling the country promoting the syndicate project.

Meanwhile, Dennison is reminding miners that the information they seek on mining practices can also be obtained from any of the GGMC’s mine stations or its headquarters in Georgetown. The information is free of cost.

At the end of 2016, a total of seven mining deaths were recorded in the industry. The Government through the Natural Resources Ministry has been working assiduously to ensure that mining deaths are minimised in the industry.