core sector communique

ArcelorMittal Liberia kicks off month-long railway safety campaign

On April 2, ArcelorMittal began a month-long campaign to raise awareness of road and rail safety within the mine area and along the railway corridor between Yekepa and the port of Buchanan, Liberia.

The campaign will seek to prevent rail, road and work-related incidents in local communities by reinforcing life-saving messages on community safety; alert the public to road and rail dangers; ensure all major communities are reached in the community safety awareness and education programmes; and help develop an understanding about the refurbished railway.

With twenty years of no trains on the tracks, using the tracks has become part of the day to day activities by people living in nearby towns and villages.

"There are thousands of people that live along the rail access road, including many children," said Marcus Wleh, corporate responsibility manager for ArcelorMittal, "We want to educate our children about the dangers of a railway and achieve long-term behavioural and attitudinal changes in the way local communities relate to community safety. We are aiming for a company culture that puts safety first, always. The courageous leadership programme will also play a part in fostering this culture, creating an environment in which we believe we can eliminate risky behaviour."

With ArcelorMittal now running two trains a day from Yekepa to Buchanan and back, this campaign is vital. "We operated one train per day between May 2011 and February 2012, but since February 27th, we have begun operating two trains a day, of 80 wagons each. ArcelorMittal Liberia shipped its first one million tonnes of ore in March" said Geoff Jolly, rail and port manager for ArcelorMittal.

Kicking off the campaign on April 2, Honorable Gabriel Smith, District #1 Representative from Grand Bassa County sounded a warning bell to all local residents. "Keep off the tracks" he said, as he spoke to the gathering of community leaders and government stakeholders. Also representing the government at the event were incoming Grand Bassa Superintendent, Etweda Cooper, Grand Bassa Senator John Whitfield and Grand Bassa District #1 Representative, J. Byron Brown.

The month-long campaign, sponsored by ArcelorMittal, will include a one-week caravan, featuring cultural performances, drama, and music. The caravan began in Grand Bassa on April 8 and will move through Bong into Nimba, stopping in villages along the access road to directly engage locals. The campaign will continue throughout the month with school visits and other community engagement activities.