Obuasi — THE ASSET Protection Department of AngloGold Ashanti (APD), Obuasi Mine, has for the third consecutive time, placed first in the company's Inter-Departmental First Aid and Safety Competition.

The competition, which was the fourth to be organized by the company, saw the APD scoring impressive points of 421.8. In his welcoming address, the Managing Director of the mine, Mr. John Miller, pledged the company's continuous support in ensuring that workers of the company, worked under safe conditions.

He disclosed that the company would be implementing the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 Safety Management System, and commended the workers for their commitment towards safety.

The Chief Inspector of Mines, Mr. Jonathan Ahenkora, thanked the company for organizing the competition.

He urged all the workers to make good use of the exercise, by applying the skills they had acquired, adding, "It is only when we manage to protect ourselves, that we can protect that of others."

The Chief Judge of the competition, Dr. Bannie Asenso, said though the mine was not making profit, management spent a lot of resources in organizing such competitions, all because of how it attached importance to safety and health-related issues.

"We should all see ourselves as winners in the competition, but what is important for us to do next, is to play leading roles when accidents occur," he maintained.

In the competition itself, the Traffic and Transport, Electricals, North Mechanical and North Mine Departments came second, third, fourth and fifth, with 402.5, 392.5, 380.3 and 379.5 points, respectively.

The Mining and Building Contractors (MBC), Mineral Resources Management (MRM), Constructions and South Mine placed sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth, with 367.8, 359.5, 352.8 and 333.8 points, respectively.

All the participating teams took home certificates.