The government has rolled out a special task force to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations across factories, offices, shops, and other workplaces throughout the country.
Up to 10,000 personnel are being deployed across the 16 regions with the necessary warrants and legal authority under the authority of the Factories, Offices and Shops Act, 1970 (Act 328) and the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) to conduct unannounced inspections and investigations, and to enforce workplace health, safety and environmental standards.
This is in line with the mandate to promote decent, safe and lawful employment practices in the country.
The initiative, under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, is to strengthen labour inspection, compliance enforcement and occupational safety governance.
Mandate
The Chairman of the Health and Safety Committee of the ministry's special taskforce, Dr Daniel Ayikwei, told the Daily Graphic in an interview last Saturday that the taskforce is mandated to conduct inspections and audits of all factories, offices, and shops to ensure compliance with national health and safety laws.
The personnel are to verify the registration and certification status of all workplaces as required under Act 328.
Dr Ayikwei said the task force was to enforce compliance with occupational safety, health and welfare standards as stipulated under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), as well as identify, report and recommend sanctions for non-compliant entities.
He said a portal connecting all relevant agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs), had been created for joint enforcement and corrective actions.
The portal, he said, had been designed in such a way that once the reports and pictures were sent from the field onto it, the affected agency would take it up immediately for action.
He said, for instance, if an organisation failed to honour its Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) obligations after deduction, SSNIT was expected to move in swiftly to apprehend the perpetrators for prosecution.
That, he said, would rake in the necessary revenue for government and promote "safety and wellness in organisations."
The task force operates under the direct supervision of the Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, with full ministerial backing.
Personnel
One hundred and fifty of such personnel have already been trained and deployed in the Greater Accra Region, with the rest to be spread across the country.
They are to conduct systematic inspections in collaboration with local and regional authorities.
Access
Dr Ayikwei told this reporter that by their actions, all employers, managers, and facility owners are required by law to provide full access to workplace premises, documents, and records requested by authorised inspectors.
This includes safety permits, fire certificates, worker welfare documentation, and registration certificates under the Factories, Offices and Shops Act (Act 328).
"Let me reiterate that inspection and enforcement activities are not optional, and cooperation with field officers is a legal obligation," he said.
Caution, public education
Dr Ayikwei cautioned that any form of obstruction, interference, or resistance to the lawful duties of inspectors constitutes a criminal offence under the Factories, Offices and Shops Act, 1970 (Act 328), Sections 124(2) and (3).
"Persons found obstructing inspectors, denying access to premises, tampering with inspection materials, or engaging in any conduct that impedes official duties will be prosecuted without hesitation in accordance with the laws of Ghana.
"The ministry will not tolerate any act of intimidation, bribery, or unlawful influence directed at its officers.
Such acts will attract immediate administrative and legal sanctions," Dr Ayikwei warned.
Per the arrangement, public education and stakeholder sensitisation programmes would be rolled out alongside inspection exercises to promote awareness of workplace obligations under Ghana’s labour and safety laws.
The head of the health and safety committee said the ministry reaffirms its unwavering commitment to upholding decent work, lawful employment and a safe occupational environment for all workers in Ghana.
"The initiative represents a decisive step towards nationwide compliance, accountability, and enforcement of Ghana's occupational health and safety standards.
