Health and Occupational Safety conference opens in Accra
Nii Ansah-Adjaye, Chief Director, Ministry of Trade and Industry on Wednesday called for the establishment of a national body that would direct and control occupational health and safety issues, particularly among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.
He said such a body would guide and assist enterprises to develop and set up their own systems for the protection of their workforce and sought to address the occupational health and safety issues affecting all types of industries.
Addressing the opening session of a three-day International Conference on Occupational Health in SMEs in Accra, Nii Ansah-Adjaye stressed that the national body would be able to streamline activities of agencies such as Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Standards Authority, Department of Factory Inspectorate, Ghana Minerals Commission, Ghana Labour Commission and National Road Safety Commission, which monitor different industries for workplace and employee safety.
It is being jointly organised by Ghana Health Service (GHS) and International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH).
Participants from more than 14 countries including Japan, Finland, Britain, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Togo, are attending the conference that would build the capacities of occupational health practitioners and SME operatives within their countries on better handling of occupational health and safety issues relating to SMEs.
Nii Ansah-Adjaye said despite the significant economic importance of SME’s they had received little attention on occupational health and safety supportive activities in terms of either research or support for preventive initiatives that would improve their business environment.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry in its new Industrial Policy, had made provisions under the Industrial Sector Support Programme (ISSP) to ensure the enactment of the proposed Health and Safety Law, enforcement of Occupational Health and Safety Laws to address poor health and safety standards in the manufacturing sector to protect workers and enhance productivity.
Employers would also be encouraged to take insurance policies for workers compensation as well as enforce regulations on the use of safety equipment and protective clothing in manufacturing enterprise including SMEs.
Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, Deputy Minister of Health, said over 90 per cent of the workforce, constituting majority of workers in the country that fall within the SME sector were saddled with a myriad of occupational health, environment and safety challenges relating to their operations, making it difficult to create a healthy and safe working environment.
He mentioned exposure to loud noise, hazardous chemicals, excessive vibrations, conditions of poor lighting, adoption of poor postures, faulty electrical connections as well as risk of electrocution and fires as some of the work related hazards that plagued SMEs.
Mr Mettle-Nunoo therefore, pointed out that SME operatives and their employees should be assisted to understand the benefits of healthy workplaces and employee well-being and acquire knowledge and skills on practical means of preventing ill-health and injuries to save “Our countries significant proportions of our GDP we expend on treating preventable and needless injuries and deaths”.
In fraternal messages, representatives from World Health Organization (WHO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Ghana Society of Occupational Health, Ghana Public Health, International Association of Labour Inspection, stressed the importance of such a conference and asked governments, Parliamentarians and other stakeholders to ensure proper health and safety measures pertained at workplaces.
Source: GNA