Apiate explosion: Committee to review Health and Safety standards in mining sector constituted

Following the explosion in Apiate in the Western Region which claimed some 13 lives and razed down the entire community, the government has set up a five-member Committee to review the Health and Safety Standards in the Mining Sector.

The Committee is to, among others, undertake a general review of the health and safety regime in the mining industry; review the existing laws, regulations, and guidelines on mining and make recommendations to the Government for legislative, policy, and other reforms it may deem fit.

Inaugurating the Committee, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, said Government has taken several actions aimed not only at supporting the victims but also for reconstructing the Community.

Chairman of the Committee Professor Richard Amankwah who is also the Vice-Chancellor for the University of Mines and Technology, said as part of UMATs support to reconstruct the Appiatse Community, it has begun testing the soil at Appiatse to find out the "impact of the explosion on agriculture”.