Special Occupational Safety and Health Task Force Recovers GHC1.8 million in First Week, Boosting Workplace Safety Efforts

The Special Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) task force set up by the Ministry of Labour has recovered GHC 1.8 million in its first week of operation.

The Minister for Labour, Jobs, and Employment, Mr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo,  disclosed this at the 2025 Health Environment Safety and Security (HESS) Leadership Conference, held on Thursday in Accra.

Speaking on the theme, “Leading the Way: Empowering Safety Professionals to Become Tomorrow’s Safety Leaders,” the Minister affirmed the government’s dedication to advancing occupational safety and health (OSH) standards across Ghana.

He noted that before the creation of the task force, factory inspections and workplace safety enforcement had yielded only GHC4 million in the entire previous year.

“The new team, tasked with conducting rigorous audits, inspections, and certifications, especially in high-risk sectors, reached nearly half that amount in just a week,” he said.

The minister stated that occupational safety and health must not be seen as a luxury or afterthought but as a “fundamental pillar of sustainable development and productivity.”

“As Ghana continues on its path of economic transformation, we must ensure that progress is anchored in safe, healthy, and dignified conditions of work, whether in construction, mining, agriculture, logistics, or services,” he added.

According to Mr. Pelpuo, the ministry was in the final stage of drafting a National OSH Policy to provide a coordinated and strategic framework for improving safety and health across all sectors.

He added that the ministry was working closely with international labour bodies to develop Ghana’s first National OSH Profile, which will serve as a reference point for planning, policymaking, and measuring progress.

“The profile will cover accident reporting systems, legal frameworks, training institutions, and risk-prone industries,” he said.

He urged stakeholders to match government efforts in ensuring workplace safety, noting that a safe environment enhances morale, reduces absenteeism, and saves lives.

“Your leadership, innovation, and consistency in promoting workplace safety and health are commendable. Government will continue to play its part in building a regulatory system that is productive, safe, and inclusive,” he added.

On his part, the Director of Safety Campaign Ghana, Mr. Emmanuel Nyarkoh Damoah, stated that the goal of the conference was to inspire knowledge sharing, upskill safety professionals, and develop new talent within Ghana’s OSH ecosystem.

“We want to build an industry where best practices are shared, where emerging systems learn from the experienced ones. That’s how we grow a safety-conscious workforce in Ghana,” he said.

Priscilla Osei-Wusu Nimako, ISD