First national mining safety week to be in 2012

The First National Mining Safety Week shall be celebrated in March-April 2012 all across the entire mining industry in Papua New Guinea.

As per decision taken by the National Apex Mining Safety Council last year, Barrick Porgera Joint Venture will be hosting this event which was announced at the second meeting of the National Mining Emergency Response Forum in Port Moresby on Wednesday July 20, 2011.

The mining industry in PNG,  under the auspices of the Office of the Chief Inspector of Mines,  organised the First National Mining Emergency Response Challenge at Lae in March 2011,  which received an excellent response and support from all stake holders and was hailed as a resounding success.  

Transforming the event into a bigger and wider game, next year would witness staging of the First National Mining Safety Week in which all mines would conduct various safety promotional activities at their respective sites during the Safety Week period,  which would lead up to staging of the Mining Emergency Response Challenge in Port Moresby as a concluding ceremony.    

The concept,  initiated to develop closer partnerships and interaction amongst the different industry players and to provide avenue for participants to learn and exchange skills and ideas,  is believed to generate more interest and bigger participation next year.

The main purpose of these celebrations is to educate and remind people of the importance of safety at their work places.

Speaking at the Forum meeting, PNG’s Chief Inspector of Mines, Mr Mohan Singh,  thanked Barrick PJV for taking up the challenge and said he had confidence in them to make the 2012 event a grand success.