Occupational safety and health bill to be adopted this year | General news

Parliament will pbad the Health and Safety at Work Act by the end of the year as part of efforts to promote health and safety in the workplace.

"It is essential that we recognize that the future of work is now with us and that it is incumbent on us to adopt, adapt and modify the nature of work and our workplaces. to stay up-to-date and comply with OHS standards. "
Mr. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Minister of Employment and Labor Relations, said this Friday at the "World Day for Safety and Health at Work" in Accra.

The event, on the theme "Safety and health and the future of work", was organized by the ministry in collaboration with the Volta River Authority (VRA).
Mr. Baffour-Awuah called on all workplace stakeholders to comply with the required safety standards for occupational safety and health, as they were essential to achieving national medium-term development goals.

He stated that the world of work was evolving at a faster pace, with the advent of modern technology, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (TOT), which are becoming increasingly important. accompanied by risks and deficiencies.
"We can not forget the accidents and injuries that these technologies could cause to the work force," he said.

Mr. Baffour-Awuah said the social partners had sufficiently demonstrated their commitment to promoting occupational safety and health standards to ensure the well-being and well-being of employees, adding that stakeholders should not relax their efforts.

He said the importance of workplace safety and health was undeniably the key to achieving the decent work agenda in Ghana.
Mr. Baffour-Awuah said that, despite overwhelming evidence that certain categories of Ghanaian workplaces were at occupational risk, significant progress had also been made in enforcing OSH standards through awareness raising. advocacy, respect and enforcement.

"I sincerely hope that Ghana will achieve the Sustainable Development Goals on Safety and Health at Work sooner than expected. a task that we all face, besides, our celebration of World Day for Safety and Health at Work will be a futile exercise, "he said.
He added that the move would require investment, research, training, skills development and capacity building as employees wanted to work in an environment where their safety could be ensured.

The minister said that employers, on the other hand, were looking for men and women who were committed to hiring and participating in security, knowing that reliable insurance of safety was a guarantee of business development.
He noted that the government was interested in a healthy workforce capable of implementing its policies and programs for the country's growth and sustainable development.

Mr. Andrew A. Tagoe, Deputy Secretary General of the Trade Union of Agriculture Workers (TUC), called on the Government to develop and implement national safety and health legislation and regulations at work.

He stated that the labor inspection division of the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations should be empowered to intensify its inspections at all workplaces to ensure safety.