MAXAM Company Limited, a mining services company at Tarkwa in the Western Region, whose vehicle carrying chemicals that exploded at Apiate near Bogoso in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality, causing deaths and massive damage, has been suspended on the instructions of the government through the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor.
Pursuant to regulation 2 of the Minerals and Mining (Explosives) Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2177), the Lands and Natural Resources Minister also directed the Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission to interdict the Chief Inspector of Mines who is responsible for the supervision of the manufacture, storage, transportation and use of explosives for mining and mine support services, over the deadly incident.
A truck carrying explosives to a gold mine collided with a motorcycle, triggering a huge blast which flattened almost all buildings in the small town on Thursday afternoon, throwing the country into a state of mourning.
Thirteen people lost their lives, whilst 36 are on admission and about 96 treated and discharged as the huge blast caused widespread damage.
The Minerals Commission, on the instructions of the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, asked Maxam Company Limited to suspend operations with immediate effect, as investigations are being carried out over the deadly incident.
According to the Minerals Commission, Maxam Company Limited is precluded from the manufacture, transportation, and/or supply of explosives for mining operations.
According to the officials of the Minerals Commission, the move is to enable them conduct further investigations into the matter and to ensure the safety of the public.
The Minerals and Mining Regulations LI 2182, which talks about health, safety and technical regulations and the explosives regulations allow the inspector to close down the site when there is reason to believe that further harm could be caused as a result of operating a site.
Barely 48 hours after the explosion, officials of the Minerals Commission in the Western Region went to the premises of Maxam Company in Tarkwa to close the facility down until investigations are completed and findings made public.
Speaking to journalists, after the closure of the site, the Regional Manager of the Minerals Commission, Isaac Mwinbelle, said the commission has issued Maxam with provision notice, which means the company should cease operation.
He said even though the explosion did not occur at the company’s site, Maxam was the source of the material.
“This is where the explosives are manufactured, stored and transported to various sites. So once it starts from Maxam site, we should go to the source and not only stopping it on the highway,” he explained, adding “this will help us to complete all investigations into the matter and whatever findings or recommendation will be made public and operations can recommence.”
A suspension agreement was signed between the commission and the manager of Maxam Company.
Mr. Mwinbelle said as part of the notice to cease operation, two officers from the Regional Minerals Commission would be assigned to the Maxam site to ensure the company adheres to the directive.
Officials of the company declined to talk to the media when journalists approached them for their reaction.
Earlier Warnings
The Minister of the Interior, Ambrose Dery, not long after taking office in 2017 had ordered the management of Maxam to address all the shortfalls in its operations, according to reports carried by the media at the time.
He threatened to stop granting the company any further permits to handle explosives if it fails to meet the approved safety standards.
“With magazines, the new regulation is that, there should be bunkers erected on the four sizes of the magazines to ensure that in case of any explosion, the horizontal movement of the explosion would be contained within the bunkers, and can only go vertically up which l believe would reduce any collateral damage that may be caused,” he said.
The minister had told the media how Maxam had failed to meet the regulation to secure their magazines as stated by the regulator, as a company granted a permit to operate.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Tarkwa