A day’s workshop to implement and audit the International Cyanide Management Code was organized on Thursday with a call on mining companies to be committed to best practices in the industry and ensure safety in their work environment. "We are aware that the goldmines are keen to be known as the best professionals in that field and I am confident that after this workshop all of you would have fair knowledge about the code and adopt best practices during and after production," Ms. Joyce R. Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines said. She noted that the idea of introducing a cyanide code was not only to ensure that mining companies did their work well or were sensitive to the communities in which they operated but also to show examples in their work. The workshop, the first to be organized in West Africa, drew participants from Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Ghana. It was organized by the Chamber in collaboration with the International Cyanide Management Institute to enable members to go through the process of auditing and to learn how to go according to the code and its compliance. Ms Aryee said although there were other codes on cyanide, this was unique because it was the first time that everybody in the production chain was involved to know about it and comply. She said she hoped that in future the code would cover every laboratory in the country, even those in schools, and urged mining companies to make it a living document to ensure a friendly environment. Mrs Esther Obeng-Dappah, Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines, commended the Chamber for ensuring that its members were abreast with modern trends in cyanide management. She said the positive response to the workshop showed that they understood the importance of the code in improving the management of that potentially dangerous chemical and how it could enhance the protection of workers, communities and the environment as a whole. The Minister, therefore, encouraged the companies to sign on to the code, implement the provisions, practice what was contained in it and use the best management practices available to operate in a safe and environmentally friendly manner to ensure that Ghana would be free from cyanide-related problems. The cyanide code is a voluntary programme developed between 2001 and 2002 for operators of gold mines as well as producers and transporters of the chemical to address management of cyanide used in gold mines. Source: GNA