The Ministry of Employment, Labour and Jobs is preparing a new bill to establish a comprehensive legal framework for occupational safety, health and working conditions in Ghana.
The proposed legislation is expected to set out safety regulations and requirements aimed at protecting workers and promoting healthy and safe working environments across the country.
The Minister for Employment, Labour and Jobs, Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, announced this at an engagement with members of the Health, Environment, Safety and Security (HESS) ahead of their leadership conference scheduled for August 29 and 30.
Dr Pelpuo said the proposed law would provide a clear legal framework for addressing workplace safety and health concerns and ensure that Ghanaian workers were adequately protected.
“Your occupation is also our occupation, and naturally we can work together. I’m happy that in doing so, we are also working together to develop this bill, which is going to be our legal framework defining all the safety regulations and needs to ensure good health and the working conditions of our Ghanaian workforce,” he said.
He stressed that safe and healthy working conditions were not only a responsibility of government but were also essential to building a secure and sustainable economy.
“We do acknowledge that to ensure a secure, sustainable economy, the worker has to be free of the daily complaints of ‘I’m sick’ because of the environment they work in,” he said.
Dr Pelpuo said economic growth and sustainability depended largely on providing workers with conditions that enabled them to work effectively and safely.
“This is very important. We are aware that if an economy can grow and be viable and sustainable, it must have good working conditions for the worker who pushes and makes sure there is development,” he added.
He said the government, since assuming office, had prioritised maintaining a positive and safe working environment to enable workers to contribute effectively to national development.
“All that we have attained within the one and a half years of our administration is to make sure we maintain good working conditions, a very good environment so workers can have the kind of positive psychology to work and they have a very safe environment to work,” he said.
The Minister commended HESS for its efforts to promote workplace safety and security, describing the organisation’s work as a patriotic contribution to the country.
He said the government would continue to partner with the organisation to improve workplace safety standards and secure positive outcomes from the upcoming conference.
Dr Pelpuo expressed hope that the August 29–30 conference would generate practical recommendations to strengthen workplace safety, health and security.
He said providing workers with the necessary conditions of security, peace and safety was essential to recognising and supporting the contribution of Ghana’s workforce to national development.