The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, has called for collective and sustained efforts in ending the rampant workplace accidents occurring in most organizations.
According to him, statistics from the labour department of the ministry from 2015 to 2017 on workmen compensation as a result of accidents must be a cause for worry to both policymakers and industry players.
He disclosed: “In 2015 for instance, the mining and quarry sub-sector recorded 552 accidents of which 550 cases resulted in incapacitation, while two were fatal. Electricity, gas and water recorded 218 accident cases out of which 216 resulted in incapacitation and two cases were fatal. In 2016, the mining and quarry recorded 62 cases and one fatal incident; while electricity/gas and water recorded 219 cases, one of which was also fatal”.
He further disclosed that in 2017, mining and quarry recorded eight cases of incapacitation while electricity, gas and water recorded 368 incapacitation and two deaths.
The minister made the revelation at the 4th edition of the Ghana Extractive Industry Conference (GEISCon) organized by the Sekondi-Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (STCCI) in Takoradi.
The two-day conference was on the theme: “Handling of Dangerous Goods: Global Standards and Existing Practices in Ghana”.
GEISCon 2018 was attended by players in the oil and gas industry, mining, banking, security services and among others.
Some of the topics discussed included introduction to the United Nation (UN) model regulations on the transport of dangerous goods, the necessity of safety and control measures for the handling and transport of dangerous goods, road safety and how to educate the public.
The minister noted that most Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) incidents were avoidable adding “their continuous occurrence and presence at our workplaces constitute injustices of grave magnitude and are inexcusable”.
He stressed: “I think we should we pay attention to the key principles for eliminating occupational accidents including prioritizing security at the workplace, improving social dialogue and enhancing social protection for the worker and their families”.
Mr. Ato Van-Ess, Chairman of Sekondi-Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (STCCI), mentioned that the suffering caused by accidents and illnesses to workers and their families was incalculable.
He indicated that the International Labour Organization (ILO) had estimated that more than four per cent of the world’s annual Gross Domestic Products (GDP) was lost due to occupational accidents and diseases.
Mr. Benjamin Dziboku, General Manager, Finance and Strategy of Republic Bank Ghana Limited, added that safety and disaster management were critical in every industry or organization.
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