Workplace safety bill to be laid before Parliament
The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment is expected to present a bill before Parliament on the country's profile on occupational safety and health to serve as a guide for industries, factories, offices, shops and construction sites nationwide.
The bill addresses compliance registration and certification processes, including penalties and administrative fines for non-compliance, as well as training and safety audit fees.
When passed into law, it will promote inter-agency collaboration to ensure that enforcement is comprehensive, synchronised and avoids duplication of regulatory efforts.
Framework
The Chairman of the Health and Safety Committee of the ministry's Special Taskforce, Dr Daniel Ayikwei, told the Daily Graphic that the framework was to align all the various Acts, including the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) and the Factories, Offices and Shops Act, 1970 (Act 328) into a more compelling and enforceable instrument.
“When passed into law, it will ensure, among other things, that health and safety interventions directly align with workers’ rights and welfare, by monitoring conditions of work, sanitation, welfare facilities and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as well as ensuring fair employment practices,” he said.
He said the document, which had recently been approved by cabinet for onward submission to Parliament, represented a significant milestone in Ghana's efforts to strengthen occupational health and safety, providing a comprehensive overview of the current framework, challenges and pathways for improvement.
Protection
Dr Ayikwei said when the bill becomes law, it would help prevent the state from losing its valuable and scarce human resources to occupational accidents, injuries and fatalities.
"Over the years, the ministry, through its agencies, has implemented policies and programmes to safeguard safety and health standards at workplaces, which have led to a reduction of occupational accidents and injuries to some extent.
"Despite these interventions, data show widespread incidence of occupational injuries and accidents in the world of work, hence this new move," he said.
He said the bill was developed with the support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to provide an in-depth analysis of Ghana's current occupational health and safety landscape.
Dr Ayikwei said the law would serve as a repository of information for government, employers, workers, service providers and other stakeholders with a strategic action plan for continual development at the country level.
"The overarching objective of the Ghana Occupational Health and Safety Profile is to offer a structured and in-depth overview of the current system," he stated.
Background
Statistics show that from 2020 to 2024, Ghana recorded 4,647 occupational accident cases, resulting in 140 fatalities and 4,108 non-fatal injuries, and leading to compensation payments totalling GHc 52,010,796.
It also demonstrates that the majority of cases occurred in the manufacturing and mining sectors, with the informal sector accounting for more than 70 per cent of the workforce.
