Rabaul port staff get safety training

 By ABIGAIL APINA 

THE people of Rabaul have been urged to learn about safety and emergency drills so that they are prepared for natural disasters.

PNG Port business manager in Rabaul Saulo Aua said this yesterday after a successful safety and emergency drill at PNG Ports in Rabaul.

He said following the right procedures were very important during in times of emergencies and disasters.

Aua said the exercise, which included port users, was important and urged the participants to note the drills and educate their families and friends about them.

Occupational health safety and environment manager Stanley Semery said it was important to “show the community that we value their lives. We call on surrounding communities to take on safety drills”.

PNG Ports is obliged to conduct drills and safety exercises to ensure it is prepared for disasters, according to the security and training co-ordinator Michael Gifiro, who looks after 16 other ports. “Rabaul Port is prone to natural disasters such as the volcanic eruptions since the harbour and whole of Rabaul is sitting on an active volcano,” he said.

“We have identified our weaknesses and strengths during the drills. We managed to evacuate 160 people safely out of the area during the exercise while four people were assumed dead because we failed somewhere,” he said.

He said the bottom line was to comply with requirements as failure to do so will result in fines.