With modern technology, GGML takes safety to new heights

GGML Senior Safety and Health Officer at the workplace.

IN celebrations to mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work recently on 28th April, 2023 that was nationally held in Morogoro region, the Geita Gold Mining Limited (GGML) Company came up with new modern technologies to maintain workplace safety and health, which attracted attention of the public at the company’s pavilion at the Tumbaku Grounds.

The technologies, which are specific to the health and safety of workers working in mines, were mentioned as unique due to the innovations implemented by the company to bring about reforms in the mining sector.

Elaborating on the innovations at the pavilion, GGML Senior Officer of Safety and Health at the workplace, Sospeter Mkombati said that despite the company being one of the number one stakeholders, this year it has decided to come up with different things.

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He said that GGML for many years has participated in the exhibitions organised by the Workplace Health and Safety Agency (OSHA), aimed at educating the public on safety issues at the workplace, this time round it wanted to teach them, so that they bring reforms to their companies.

He said that the technologies that GGML has brought in this year’s exhibition, whose motto says: “Safe and healthy environment is a basic principle and right at the workplace,” confirm the company’s first priority, which is safety and health at the workplace.

Mkombati named the first technology as a ‘refugee chamber’ which is a special emergency room that is placed inside the mine underground to enable the workers inside the mine to gather, while waiting for another rescue from above.

“Refugee chamber is a device that is used underground to help the worker when there are various accidents, maybe a rock has fallen or a fire accident, the worker instead of trying to find a way out goes to the room that can accommodate more than 20 people and it is packed by various rescue equipment such as oxygen cylinders as well as information systems.

“So those who are outside will know the kind of rescue to prepare for, before ascending to the room which cannot be penetrated by fire or rocks underground,” he said.

He has mentioned another technology that they came up with that is for fire accident control systems in cars, where now all the company’s cars, including mechanical ones, are fitted with the systems in the engine.

He said that the systems have the ability to provide special water to extinguish any fire that may occur inside the car engine or plant without the driver ordering or getting out of the car to find a fire extinguisher.

Mkombati added that the third technology that GGML has brought to the exhibition was the use of drones in taking pictures and videos inside the mine to identify the safety of the rocks before the worker goes to dig.

“The workers were going to mine, sometimes inside the rocks they find stones that are not patterned well and cause concern about the stability of the rocks, but now we have come with drone technology that goes inside to take pictures and then we check the place that is safe and not safe to ensure a safe environment for our workers,” he said.

Another technology he mentioned was a special rescue ladder that is used on the emergency route when escaping or saving life from inside the mine apart from the main way to enter and exit the mine.

“If you leave the emergency room “refugee chamber”, GGML has designed an emergency way or escape way which has modern stairs that enable a worker who saves himself from the mine to climb without slipping, but also every six meters he can rest because sometimes there may be a distance of 150 meters from inside the mine to come out.

“This technology uses something like plastic drums where inside there are non-slip stairs and places to rest (platform), so it is a new technology that companies in this mining sector can imitate and use,” he pointed out.

The Safety Officer, in addition said that GGML has now come up with a special toilet that has been designed for underground miners, instead of going outside for the same purpose.

He further said: “These toilets are taken inside the mine where the worker walks a few meters and use. They are modern toilets, they have insecticides and when they are about to fill up, they are taken by machine and taken outside the mine to be cleaned.”

He added that the people who visited the booth expressed their interest in the innovative equipment, which is increasing the morale of the company’s employees to pay more attention to safety and health issues at the workplace and to work hard.

One of the residents who visited the GGML pavilion, Novatus Chuwa said that he learned many things that are foreign, but now he is tempted to choose to work in the mines because of the certainty of safety at the workplace.

Another person, Alice Kyando said that the number of people who rush to the GGML booth has proven how the company has planned to ensure that the work environment is well prepared and that the employee works in a safe place and in accordance with international guidelines for safety and health at the workplace.er at the workplace, Sospeter Mkombati explains operations at the special emergency room (Refugee Chamber) stuffed with different equipment to rescue a worker in the mine, during exhibitions at their pavilion in Morogoro region.

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