Tema Tank Farm marks safety milestone
GHANA’S leading privately-owned petroleum depot Tema Tank Farm (TTF), has celebrated its 2,000 days without lost time injury (LTI).
This is the first time that a company in the country’s petroleum downstream industry has ever achieved the record. TTF, responsible for managing the terminal owned by Chase Logistics – both under the CH Group umbrella – has maintained an impeccable safety record since 2012.
Lost time injuries, according to experts, are a very important benchmark for any organisation concerned with the health and safety of its employees. These incidents have immediate consequences and long-term effects on both the injured employees and employers.
Speaking at a day’s event to climax the celebrations of the 2,000 days without LTI, Managing Director of the TFF Terminal, Edem Boni, said: “To be able to do this when the terminal is live during construction and operations is a major milestone”.
It is also a testament to the commitment to safety from the entire staff and stakeholders. This is a first in the industry, he stated.
“Achieving the 2,000 days without LTI gives all our stakeholders and customers who are using our facility the comfort that we adhere to the best safety standards when it comes to downstream petroleum”.
Mr Boni explained that they are dealing with petroleum products, and for stakeholders and customers to know that they have been able to do this for 2000 days without any lost time injury (LTI), is comforting.
He said: “It is only a few companies in the world who are able to combine operations and constructions without their lost time injury, and this is a testament to our slogan, which is: TTF, “we mean safety, all accidents are preventable”.
Mr Boni paid glowing tributes to the board, management and staff of the company and the parent company, the CH Group, for contributing immensely to achieving the feat in safety and excellence.
He used the opportunity to say a big thanks to all their stakeholders and customers for their support. “Without them, we won’t have achieved these 2000 days without LTI because the loading process includes all our stakeholders”.
On his part, the Executive Director at CH Group, Dr Daniel Amoah, noted: “This milestone is not just a number. It represents thousands of hours of dedication, vigilance, and teamwork from every single member of this organisation”.
Safety is a collective achievement. Today, we honour the unwavering commitment to safety that has become the cornerstone of our operations, he added.
“This achievement is a testament to the values we hold dear, a proactive safety culture, shared responsibility and a relentless pursuit of excellence to every employee, contractor, customer, third party and partner who has contributed to this success”.
Dr Amoah continued: “Your dedication and diligence have made this possible. As we celebrate the 2,000 LTI, let us reflect on what this milestone truly signifies. It is a reminder that safety is not a single-time effort but a continuous journey, and as such, we will continue to pursue safety protocols that will make us mark even longer periods of safety records”.
For the Safety Manager at the Terminal, Emmanuel Asumani Ofosu: “We focused on predictive and preventive philosophies, and thanks to the leadership of my terminal director, we checked all the boxes, which has contributed largely to our success”.
Touching on leadership, CEO of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Dr Patrick Kwaku Ofori, in the industry where risks are inherited, this achievement by the Tema Tank Farm is not mere statistics but a testament to a serious commitment to safety excellence.
“The Tema Tank Farm has demonstrated that strict adherence to safety has not been merely a tick box exercise but a serious adherence to effective business culture. At the heart of this culture has been the tone of effective leadership.
It all starts with recruitment; whenever I engage with the Tema Tank Farm and CH Group, one thing that you will leave those meetings with is the competent skill set that are available in the organisation”.
Dr Ofori added: “Kwaku Bediako is a business leader and a popular figure in the country. I would say the Elon Musk of the downstream, yet he has not appointed cronies, friends, and families. And this is something commendable”.
In a speech delivered by Naomi Chartey, Customs Officer-In-Charge at the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on ‘The role of GRA in ensuring Safe and Efficient Depot operations’, she said: “As the custodians of the depot, we are excited to share in your joy of celebrating 2000 days without LTI”.
“As customs, our role here extends beyond revenue collection, which is the primary goal that everyone knows. As an institution, we also have other agency duties to perform, which have to do with safety, regulatory compliance, and environmental standards.
It is to this end that we collaborate with institutions like fire service and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that the depots have the requisite documentation before they are approved to operate”.
At the end of the event, the long-serving staff of the company were given awards for excellence.
