The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment is set to introduce the National Workplace Compliance and Safety Management System (NWCSMS), a new system intended to transform labour administration from a largely manual, paper-based process into an integrated, data-driven and risk-based digital platform.
It is a major initiative aimed at modernising Ghana’s workplace inspection, compliance and occupational safety regime through tripartism, social dialogue and institutional collaboration.
The new system will enable the Department of Factories Inspectorate to identify high-risk workplaces more effectively, strengthen compliance monitoring and support proactive measures to prevent workplace accidents, injuries and occupational diseases.
The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, said the successful implementation of the new workplace safety system must be driven by tripartism and meaningful social dialogue among government, employers and workers.
Speaking at an event in Accra to introduce the new system, Dr Pelpuo stressed that Ghana’s ambition to create sustainable and decent jobs must go hand in hand with strong measures to protect workers, indicating that workplace safety was not solely the responsibility of government or inspectors, but a shared responsibility requiring the active participation of all social partners.
Effective collaboration
The minister said effective collaboration among government, organised labour and employers would help to build a workplace safety culture based on prevention, accountability and continuous improvement.
He said the the new system, therefore, presented an opportunity to bring stakeholders together to develop practical and sustainable solutions to workplace safety challenges.
Dr Pelpuo stressed that a productive economy could not be built on unsafe workplaces, emphasising further that workers must be provided with safe, healthy and dignified working environments in which they could contribute effectively to national development.
Broader commitment
The Chief Director of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service, Sylvanus Adzornu, said the initiative reflected government’s broader commitment to institutional reform, digital transformation and improved public service delivery.
He called for a review of the Department of Factories Inspectorate’s Organisational Manual to align its operations with contemporary workplace safety standards and practices, particularly given that its existing legislative framework dated back several decades.
Mr Adzornu further stressed that the system should deliver mutual benefits for both government and the private sector.
The Chief Director of the Labour Ministry, Hamidu Adakurugu, described the NWCSMS as more than an ICT project, stating that its success would depend on complementary reforms in institutional capacity, human resources, organisational structures and change management.
He emphasised that the initiative required the collective ownership and active participation of government, employers and workers, with tripartism and social dialogue serving as the foundation for its successful implementation.
The NWCSMS is expected to strengthen collaboration among the social partners while creating a more responsive, efficient and effective system for workplace compliance and occupational safety.
The system is also expected to foster a stronger culture of prevention and accountability, ensuring that workers across Ghana could operate in workplaces that were safe, healthy, productive and respectful of their dignity and rights.
