Occupational Health and Safety: Key Issues and Concerns in Ghana

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) poor occupational health and reduced working capacity of workers may cause economic loss up to 10-20% of the Gross National Product of a country. In countries like Ghana with fast growing workforce coupled with a growing informal sector, workers have tended to fight for job security neglecting the need for quality work life. It is argued that poor countries and companies cannot afford safety and health measures. However, there is no evidence that any country or company in the long run would have benefited from poor safety and health. This paper examines occupational health and safety (OHS) issues in Ghana and reveals the lack of a comprehensive OHS policy, poor infrastructure and funding, insufficient number of qualified occupational health and safety practitioners, and the general lack of adequate information as among the main drawbacks to the provision of occupational health and safety services.