Aflao, August 19, GNA - The State Insurance Corporation (SIC) and Swiss Re, its Switzerland-based re-insurers, have began Risk Surveys (RS) in industrial plants SIC has insured.

The exercise is to determine the level of compliance of the industries with International Industrial Safety Standards (IISS) and to advice companies about how to reduce industrial accidents and protect investments.

The specifics being determined include availability of up-to-date fire fighting and detection standards, installations and the entire production system in relation to equipment, maintenance and other relevant safety determinants.

Teams have already conducted surveys in some industries in Tema and have began the exercise in the Diamond Cement Ghana Limited (DCGL) at Aflao from where the surveys would continue in some mining companies in the Eastern Region.

Mr Antonin Amani, an Insurance Engineer of the South Africa and Cote d'Ivoire branches of Swiss Re who is leading the team, acclaimed the state-of the-art plant and safety standards in the DCGL.

He said the industrial risk level in Africa was good enough to encourage insurance companies to insure industries.

"African-based industries, by all standards, are also conscious of the safety of their investments and are protecting them by international standards."

"Risks can occur anywhere even in international industries when safety management regulations are flouted and that is why we the insurers the world over do regular surveys to make sure things are fine with our clients," he said.

Mr Richard Afaglo, the Tema Area Manager of SIC that has jurisdiction over SIC-insured industries in Ho, Aflao, Koforidua and Akim Oda, said "SIC and Swiss Re are pooling resources ready to manage industrial risks which sometime could be beyond the scope of SIC."