Pink 96.9 fm your life, your music
Related Articles
Artisans Association of Ghana (AAG) and World University Service of Canada (WUSC) organized a Health and Safety Workshop yesterday at Suma Court Hotel to educate construction workers on their legal rights and responsibilities related to occupational health and safety, the importance of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) while on site, and how to perform first aid and CPR in response to emergency situations.
This workshop is the second of two health and safety trainings offered by AAG in the past month as part of its commitment to improving the working conditions and knowledge of artisans across the country. The training was facilitated by Sauliha Alli, a WUSC volunteer who studies at the University of Toronto in Canada and Brain Emrys
As part of the event, Artisans Association of Ghana also developed a short survey to gather data on health and safety issues in the residential construction sector. Workers shared their workplace accident stories and concerns related to workplace rights. One contractor mentioned, for example, that his foot was impaled by a nail because he was not wearing safety shoes on site. A metal fabricator described how one colleague was cut by a grinding machine and consequently had to be hospitalized. Several electricians reported receiving electrical shocks, and painters, falls.
“Workplace accidents are very prevalent in Ghana. A recent study by Monney et al. (2014) revealed that 64% of artisans in Ghana sustain injuries while on site,” Alli said in an interview. “The majority of these accidents are preventable with training and enforcement of safe work practices, topics we cover in AAG’s health and safety training” she added.
Data on the use of PPE (e.g. hats, gloves, boots) was also collected in the AAG survey.
Pinknews Mireku Nyampong speaking in an interview with Miss Sauliha Alli noted that, One of our findings was that 61% of youth artisans in Tema Ashaiman and Ghana as a whole had purchased their own PPE despite the fact that employers are legally required to provide it for them according to the Ghana Labour Act,” Alli said.
These findings were corroborated by workers reports of legal health and safety issues in the workplace through open discussions at the event. Workers raised concerns that aside from employers being reluctant to provide PPE in the first place, even when they do provide it they often do not replace it when it becomes worn out.
“The current labour law we have,” Alli added, “is not detailed enough to address all of the health and safety issues that arise on Ghanaian construction sites. We need to develop a law that will both workers and employers in this rapidly growing sector, and the first step in doing so is gaining a better understanding of the day-to-day challenges workers face.”
Source: Mireku Nyampong/Pinknews
Written By: Hilda Sefarkor Adzokpa/pinkfmonlinegh.com
