Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) recently joined the rest of the ABInBev Africa Zone to commemorate World Safety Day (WSD), marked annually worldwide on 28th April. 

Themed, “Safe Behaviours – Safe Work, Safe Road and Safe Families”, the interactive programme, took participants through an array of safe behaviours, including road safety awareness activities within the company.

ABL has over the years intensified its safety education with numerous activities including training of the workforce about safe behaviours, first aids and fire-fighting, to improve upon the company’s emergency response as well as evacuation procedures among staff, contractors and visitors.

Besides declaring April as the safety awareness month, Accra Brewery Limited, distributed videos, posters and write-ups on safe work and road safety to its employees across the country, calling on them to acquaint themselves with current global trends in safe work and road safety.

Speaking at the event, Osmond Annum, District Fire Officer of the area, urged participants to be cautious, both at the workplace and homes, in order to ensure a safer and fire-free environment. 

Admonishing workers on the need to get rid of redundant combustible materials both at home and the workplace in order to prevent fire, he also stressed the need for participants to put in place measures to ensure electrical fire safety as it accounts for most of the fire outbreaks in homes.

For his part, Mr. Richard K. Eghan, the Plant Manager of ABL explained the S.A.F.E concept to participants. He asserted that whilst ABL recognizes that safety is a shared responsibility, there are moral and legal obligations on the company to ensure the safety of its employees and the public.

Urging participants not to compromise on safety measures, however expedient their tasks are, he noted that the company's focus on hazard identification and control as well as emergency response management have yielded significant results thereby reducing man hours lost to accidents on its premises.

“The commitments of the Country Director, Plant Manager and other departmental managers to safety issues of employees have also enhanced the campaign towards compliance with all safety procedures," he added.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Emmanuel Agyekum, Safety Manager of ABL, noted that as a people and community-oriented brand as well as a leader in the alcoholic beverage industry in Ghana, ABL’s commitment to ensuring that their staff worked within the highest safety standards is without question.

‘‘Besides, providing the enabling and conducive working environment for our staff, we at ABL, like our ABINBev counterparts in other parts of Africa, chose to use this occasion to reflect on our own sense of safety while reaffirming our commitment to complying with the highest safety standards,’’ he remarked.

"As the producer of Club Premium Lager, the number one selling beer in Ghana with over 1,500 permanent and short-term workers, Accra Brewery Limited is keen on creating a safe work environment, safe road for other drivers, pedestrians and other road users without forgetting the safety of our families," he added.

Some employees took turns to thank management for pulling off such an interactive and educative programmes, promising to put them to a productive use both at home and workplace.