01 Aug 2023

First aid is a fundamental skill that everyone must have to be able to save lives both at work and at home, Morupule Coal Mine (MCM) CEO, Mr Edwin Elias has said.

He said this in Palapye where MCM hosted internal first aid competitions for the mine departments.

He encouraged those without basics in first aid to learn the skills because they never know when such would be needed.

Mr Elias said first aid competitions played a critical role in ensuring that employees were able to save lives at work and at home when the need arose.

He described first aid as a basic life-saving skill and critical immediate assistance to give any person with minor or serious illness or injury before the arrival of a doctor.

He said as the theme implied, all had to put a hand to administer first aid whenever it was necessary.

Mr Elias said the theme for the event; Be a Hero, Save Lives at Work and in Your Community clearly showed that there was no day off for first aid.

He urged all those with first aid skills to also empower/equip their loved ones at home with these life-saving skills.

He said on the roads or within homes, people had witnessed people perish just because first aid was not applied.

He encouraged people to take the day as a day of reflection and make it a point to learn first aid skills.

He said MCM was willing to help with first aid learning, among other areas.

He encouraged everyone to uphold the spirit of first aid and apply its principles in every emergency in the workplace and at home.

He said MCM had been doing well during the Inter-mine First Aid Competitions over the years, indicating that indeed it took the aspect of work seriously, no wonder the mine had over 20 years without a fatality and over 10 years without a lost time injury.

Kgosi Martha Lebang of Palapye however urged organisers to always make sure that they invite the community members so that they could be motivated to learn first aid skills.

The annual event is where departmental teams demonstrate their level of competence in life- saving skills and is also MCM’s preparation for inter mines competitions to be held in October in Sowa Township under the hospices of Botswana Chamber of Mines. ENDS