Pass Occupational Safety and Health Bill now – Group demands

The Bureau of Public Safety is asking Parliament to, as a matter of urgency, pass the Occupational Safety and Health Bill.

In a statement issued and signed by the Executive Director, Nana Yaw Akwada, the entity said, “The continuing absence of a comprehensive national policy and bill on OSH, and the continual rhetoric of leadership to passing same, indeed has a human cost aside the economic and social costs.”

“On daily basis, the rights of numerous workers, especially young workers, to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy environment are compromised due to lack of an efficient and effective regulatory body to enforce such. Indeed, the lives of many hard working young Ghanaians continually hang in the balance as a result of a lack of national policy and bill on OSH that addresses this and other vulnerable groups,” the statement added.

The group also urged the media to turn its attention to occupational safety, health and environmental issues at workplaces.

Below is the full statement

WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORKPLACE: END THE RHETORICS

Today, Ghana joins the rest of the world to mark the 2018 World Day for Safety and Health at Workplace under the theme: “Generation Safe and Healthy”. The Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) would like to use the occasion to call on the media to focus more attention on occupational safety, health and environmental issues at workplaces; and a further call on the various scattered Occupational Safety and Health regulatory agencies to publish performances of industry players. Furthermore, we call on government to end the almost two decades of lip service to the passing of the National Policy and Bill on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and pass same now.

The continuing absence of a comprehensive national policy and bill on OSH, and the continual rhetoric of leadership to passing same, indeed has a human cost aside the economic and social costs. On daily basis, the rights of numerous workers, especially young workers, to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy environment are compromised due to lack of an efficient and effective regulatory body to enforce such. Indeed, the lives of many hard working young Ghanaians continually hang in the balance as a result of a lack of national policy and bill on OSH that addresses this and other vulnerable groups.

According to the BPS WATCH REPORT for 2017, less than 1% of all safety and security reports in the media, aside transportation related incidents, are issues coming out of the workplace. In reality, this (1%) significantly falls short of actual incident occurrences at workplace. We therefore hold the firm opinion that reportage on OSH at workplace is not receiving the needed attention hence government’s ‘laidback’ attitude.

We hold the view that the scattered Health and Safety regulatory bodies across the various industries should annually publish outlook of industry players with regard to performance on Health and Safety; with detailed statistics on injuries, illnesses and deaths. This will provide a clear overview of the health and safety situation across workplaces in Ghana, thereby providing evidential basis for Government action.

The BPS urges the media to consider a dedicated occupational safety, health and environmental reporters or reporting system that picks/create news from the industrial level through to Accidents and Emergency centers at major hospitals, the Factories Inspectorate Department and the Labour Offices across the country. When the media throws more light on good and bad practices, infractions or violations and the resulting consequences, then can the true depth of our safety and health situation at workplace be realized.

While we strongly advocate for the present political Administration to urgently pass the National OSH policy and adjoining bill, we urge all stakeholders, especially the National Safety Council, Ghana Employers Association, Trades Union Congress and other relevant bodies to sustain the lobby, and campaign to get government to pass the National Policy and Bill on OSH.