The Bureau of Public Safety has blamed the inefficiency of the Forestry Commission for the recent fatal accident that occurred in Bogoso involving a logging truck.
The accident happened after timber logs on a logging truck dislodged onto nearby cars causing the death of one person and injuries to several others.
Speaking to Citi News on the incident, the Executive Director of the Bureau of Public Safety, Nana Yaw Akwada questioned the due diligence conducted by officials of the Forestry Commission while lamenting the ineffectiveness of officials of the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD).
He called for the establishment of a safety department to ensure due diligence before any logging truck moves out of any logging yard.
“Let the Forestry Commission put in place a proper safety department that will ensure that before logs are moved from their places of origin, they are adequately secured on roadworthy vehicles.
“And let the MTTD that will be on the roadside also be accountable that when a truck passes by your post and the logs fall off, and they cause public disorder, we want to trace back to every police officer that should have inspected the truck, trace back to the Forestry Commission or the origin of these logs to see if we had a competent safety person who should have ensured that the right equipment or materials were used to secure the logs.”
He went on to blame the lawlessness in the logging sector and the lack of general safety measures at the workplace on the lack of interest to pass the Occupational Safety and Health Policy and Adjourning Bill.
“Every space is doing what they like and the industry is literally neglecting safety and running away and cutting across occupational safety and now we are beginning to have public safety implications over our lack of passing one single policy that will help us to solve some of these things.”
“And I am talking about the Occupational Safety and Health Policy and Adjourning Bill which has been dancing from Ministry to Cabinet for over two decades.”