Contractors Council to review health and safety laws
The Ghana Contractors Association Council (GCAC) has initiated moves that would lead to a review and amendment of current laws guiding health and safety at work places, to bring them in line with international standards.
This is to ensure that workplaces including construction sites adhere to best practices so that workers as well as anyone who visits construction sites, factories and other working environment are not exposed unduly to injuries or accidents.
GCAC which comprises various contractors associations including Ghana Electrical Contractors Association, Fire Protection Association of Ghana, Ghana Plumbers Association and Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana, has secured support from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund to embark on various activities to seek the review of the Factory Inspectorate Act.
Various activities have therefore been set in motion including a training programme to equip members of the Council in advocacy.
Speaking at a four day Basic Advocacy Training held for 25 of the members, the Chairman of GCAC Rockson Dogbegah called on his fellow contractors to place a high premium on the health and safety of workers because construction is an accident prone industry.
He said the reasons why construction was prone to health and safety risks were because of the physical environment of work, nature of the construction work, construction methods, construction materials, heavy equipment used and physical properties of the construction project itself.
He said Ghana had not done well in ensuring the health and safety of construction sites due to laws that were not in tune with modern practices and were difficult to enforce.
He said it was, therefore, welcoming that BUSAC had accepted the Council’s proposal to support the initiative to review the existing laws and cause their amendment.
An Advocacy Consultant Justine Mensah took the participants through various techniques in advocacy to prepare them for the work ahead.
GCAC as part of this BUSAC supported initiative will identify, analyze and through research understand the depth and breathe of the challenges which hinder the management of health and safety in the country. The ultimate aim however, would be to have the existing laws on health and safety amended and properly enforced.
Source: GNA