Health and safety policy in the offing

A comprehensive a policy that reflects the spirit and letter of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention (155), the globally accepted source of legislations on occupational health and safety of workers, is in the offing.

This was made known by Dr Stephen Ankamah-Lomotey, Tema Metropolitan Director of Factories, when the Ghana News Agency called on him to see the way forward on the prevention of hazards, which are largely unreported in the Tema Industrial enclave.

He said one of the tenets of the policy was that the administrators of workplaces would be legally obliged to design safety policies and ensure the safety of workers.

He said Industry captains would be advised to post prohibition notices to protect workers.

The relevant authorities would, however, be given enough time to seek clarification on issues before the implementation of the policy.

According to Dr. Ankamah-Lomotey, it would be mandatory for captains of industries to employ safety officers who would work around the clock to ensure the creation and sustenance of decent work environments in the industries.

The policy has three main foci; the work environment, workers; and work they do in their respective factories.

He said it would reduce industrial accidents to reasonably practical levels as it would be incumbent on employers to conduct safety audits that would involve risk assessment and risk management risk as part of job safety analysis.

Dr. Ankamah-Lomotey said safety auditing as captured in the incoming policy would be vigorously pursued and adhered to when passed by Parliament.