Labour Minister Calls for Stronger Employer and Labour Participation in Workplace Safety
The Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul Rashid Pelpuo, has called on organised labour and employers to actively participate in designing, implementing, and monitoring the National Workplace Compliance and Safety Management System (NWCSMS).
He said the system’s success would depend on the active involvement of workers, employers, and the government, as workplace safety remains a shared responsibility.
The Minister made the call at a stakeholder meeting on the introduction of the NWCSMS Project held at the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment in Accra.
He said the project should be regarded as a national initiative rather than a programme belonging to one institution, adding that the principles of tripartism and social dialogue remained important to Ghana’s labour administration framework.
According to him, organised labour was expected to use the system to support stronger protection of workers and the prevention of occupational injuries and diseases.
He said employers, on their part, would benefit from a more predictable and transparent compliance environment while gaining support to improve workplace standards and productivity.
Dr Pelpuo urged stakeholders to provide technical input into the design and implementation of the system and called on employers and organised labour to support workplace registration, compliance and the provision of accurate information.
He encouraged the Department of Factories Inspectorate and other relevant institutions to embrace the reforms and ensure that the system translated into improved performance at the workplace level.
The Minister said stronger collaboration among government, employers and workers would help create a workplace compliance system that was modern, transparent, data-driven, accessible and accountable.
He called on all stakeholders to maintain an open channel of dialogue to identify implementation challenges and address them promptly.
The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with social partners and other stakeholders to ensure that workers across the country had safe, healthy, productive and dignified working environments.
The Chief Director, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Mr Silvanus Adzornu, noted the NWCSMS would digitise regulatory services, strengthen occupational safety and improve the effectiveness of the Department of Factories Inspectorate (DFI).
He stated the project fitted into the Civil Service’s vision of using digital solutions and institutional reforms to improve public sector service delivery.
He reiterated that the NWCSMS was being implemented as a Public-Private Partnership.
Mr Adzornu urged stakeholders to ensure that the system delivered benefits to both the government and private sector.
The NWCSMS is designed to provide an integrated and technology-enabled framework for workplace registration, compliance monitoring, occupational safety and health inspection, enforcement, reporting and stakeholder engagement.
The system seeks to address challenges including fragmented workplace data, manual and paper-based processes, difficulties in monitoring compliance and enforcement actions, and limited access to timely and reliable compliance information.
Priscilla Osei-Wusu Nimako, ISD
