Ghana Airport Company launches Safety and Environment week

By Benjamin Adamafio Commey, GNA

Accra, Nov 12, GNA - The Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), in its quest to improve on safety at the country’s airports to facilitate operations and boost the aviation industry has launched its 2019 Safety and Environment week in Accra.

This is to equip staff with the requisite safety management skills to enhance their operations to ensure that the country was the safest aviation hub in West Africa and a preferred destination for flights and travellers.

The four-day long event will also create awareness among staff on the need to strive to achieve excellence in safety, enhance inclusiveness in protecting the environment, whilst accomplishing the company’s operational efficiency.

Speaking at a ceremony to officially kick-start the celebrations on Tuesday, Dr John Okwesie Arthur, Group Executive in charge of Finance, GACL said the company since its inception made safety a priority.

He said as a result of that, it over the years put in place safety policies such as the Safety Policy, which established senior management commitment to improve and define the framework of safety continually, Safety Risk Management which determined the need for and adequacy of risk control, Safety Assurance, which evaluated the continuing effectiveness of risk control and strategies and Safety Promotions aimed at creating awareness.

While alluding to some successes chalked by the company and for that matter the aviation industry, Dr Arthur said there was still the need for continuous efforts to ensure that such successes were maintained.

“We must aim to maintain the high standard set through team work, effective communication, planning infrastructure development and consistent plan maintenance. We must all know that safety is paramount, as a business we must strive to achieve excellence in safety-inclusive in protecting our environment whilst accomplishing operational efficiency and business objectives,” he said.

He urged staff to ensure that they participated fully in activities lined-up to mark the event in order to acquire the needed skills to enhance safety at the airports.

Mr Edmund Kwateboi Quartey, Safety and Environment Manager said as a company, it was aware of the importance of having effective safety measures as they were key to reducing the risk of flight accident and avoiding death, especially at the airports.

He said in order to achieve this, the company would ensure that it collaborated with other stakeholders in the aviation industry through effective communication, information sharing and collating of necessary safety statistical data and documentations.

He said the company was also working through its wildlife teams to reduce the amount of bird strikes and wildlife incidence that occured around the airports.

Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, the Minister of Aviation while commending management of the company for improving on safety and management of the airports urged the staff to ensure that they worked to maintain the success the industry was currently witnessing.

He also called on management of the company to sensitise its workers on safety and extend such awareness creation beyond the frontiers of the airports to improve on general safety.

The safety and environment week which is sponsored by Emirates Airline is under the theme “Safety in Collaboration-Upholding a High Level of Safety Standards.”

GNA

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