PROPOSAL OF PHILIPPE YANOGO @.pdf

Graduate School - Pentecost University
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PROPOSAL OF PHILIPPE YANOGO, PUGS220001
Topic: The role of regulating bodies on the effective implementation of health and safety
practices at the workplace: the case of Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and Ghana
Chamber of Mines (GCM).
Introduction
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the United Nations agency that was
established for the purpose of setting international labour standards. The ILO has a tripartite
structure and is governed by representatives of governments, employers and workers. The
ILO is the United Nations agency devoted to advancing opportunities for women and men to
obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human
dignity. As the only tripartite UN agency, the ILO brings together governments, employers
and workers of its 183 member States. Labour principles derive from ILO Conventions and
Recommendations, which set international labour standards on a broad range of subjects
related to the world of work, including human rights at work, occupational safety and health,
employment policy and human resources development. Provide wages, benefits and
conditions of work not less favourable than those offered by comparable employers in the
country concerned; provide the best possible wages, benefits and conditions of work, within
the framework of government policies, to meet basic needs of employees and their families;
respect the minimum age for admission to employment; maintain highest standards of safety
and health at work; examine the causes of industrial safety and health hazards, provide
information on good practice observed in other countries, and effect necessary improvements.
Increasing concerns about the social impact of globalization led the members of the ILO -
representatives of government, employers and workers at the international level - to
recognize in 1995 that there were four categories of labour principles and rights, expressed in
eight conventions (the so-called “core conventions”), that should be considered as
fundamental because they protect basic workers’ rights. These categories are: freedom of
association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination
of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the
elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. The process
culminated in 1998 with the adoption of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and
Rights at Work. This Declaration affirms that all ILO members States, even if they have not
ratified the Conventions in question, have an obligation arising from the very fact of

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membership in the Organisation to respect, to promote and to realize the principles
concerning the fundamental rights which are the subject of those Conventions. The ILO’s
main instrument for promoting labour standards and principles in the corporate world is the
Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy
(ILO MNE Declaration).
The ILO MNE Declaration contains recommendations on how companies should apply
principles deriving from international labour standards in the areas of general policies,
employment promotion and security, equality of opportunity and treatment, training, wages
and benefits, minimum age, occupational safety and health, and industrial relations. As such,
it provides more detailed guidance on labour issues and a more complete picture of how
companies can maximize their positive contribution to society, and minimize any negative
impacts.
The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) was established by the Standards Decree, 1973
(NRCD 173) as Ghana Standards Board, changing it from its previous name, National
Standards Board as it was when first established in August, 1967. The GSA is the National
Statutory Body responsible for Metrology, Standards, Testing, Inspection and Certification.
In 2011, its name was changed from Ghana Standards Board (GSB) to its current name, the
Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).
GSA has a Governing Board which is the policy making body for supervising the
administration and financial management of the organization. The Executive Director of the
GSA is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the organization as specified within
the broad guidelines approved by the Governing Board.
GSA’s vision is to become a model of excellence in standardization in Africa. Its mission is
to promote standardization for the improvement of the quality of goods, services and sound
management practices in industries and public institutions in Ghana.
The Mandate of the Authority are: Establishing and promulgating standards to ensure high
quality of goods produced in Ghana, whether for local consumption or for export. Providing
quality assurance through inspection, testing and metrology. Assisting operators in both the
manufacturing and service sectors to improve their competitiveness by establishing effective
Quality Management Systems along ISO/IEC 9001: 2008 and 22000: 2005. Promoting
standardization in industry and commerce; promoting standards in public and industrial
welfare, health and safety. (accessed from ISO - GSA - Ghana Standards Authority)

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An international Consultant from the British Standards Institute (BSI), Mr. Graham
Holloway, met with senior officials of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) on Tuesday 30th
August, 2022, as part of a series of engagements to help improve the technical capacity of the
Authority to facilitate the use of international standards and participation in global standards
development as stated on Ghana Standards Authority’s website.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM) is a voluntary private sector employers’ association
with a vision of being a respected, effective and unified voice for the Ghanaian mining
industry. The Chamber’s mission is to represent the industry using the resources and
capabilities of its members to deliver services that address members, government and
community needs for development.
The Chamber’s desire and commitment to serve both members and the country has reinforced
the need to strengthen our efforts at building an information-driven, people-centered and
development-oriented industry, where everyone can access, share and utilize accurate
information and knowledge on mining and mining related activities. (Sulemanu Koney
Chief Executive Officer, GCM, 2022)
Problem Statement
The rate of industrialization in Ghana is in ascendancy and this has led larger percentage of
Ghanaian workforce being exposed to workplace physical, chemical, biological and
psychological stressors, but has the nation gotten a system of anticipating, monitoring, and
evaluating, controlling and preventing such exposures to the workforce?
Employers in Ghana are required by the Ghana Labour Act 2003, Act 651 to ensure their
employees are not exposed to conditions that would lead them to work related injuries or
illnesses. Employees are also required to exhibit their duty of care in ensuring that they work
as per their employers’ standard operating procedures which must incorporate Safety and
Health requirements. However, are the Ghanaian workers and employers aware of their safety
and health responsibilities and obligations?
The existence of different types of industries, (such mining, construction, energy, food
processing, Manufacturing, Agro, Transport, and the current Oil and Gas) in Ghana has led to
a larger Ghana workforce with many Similar Exposures Groups (SEGs), indicating varying
modes, extents and frequencies of exposures to different Chemical, Physical, Economic, and
Biological agents at different workplace.

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There is a Road Safety Commission but little standards, guidelines, and impact on the
transport industry road user.
The nation has different agencies under different jurisdictions which monitor different
industries for workplace and employee’s safety, however, there is no national body, policy,
nor process that govern Occupational Safety and Health management in Ghana. There is a
Road Safety Commission but little standards, guidelines, and impact on the safety of the
transport industry and the pedestrian. The Minerals Commission has the Mining Regulations
1970, which contains some guidelines in Occupational Safety and Health but just for the
mining industry. There currently is a draft of the reviewed Mining and Minerals Regulations
is pending approval by the Ghanaian parliament.
Numerous injuries, illnesses, property damages and process losses take place at different
workplaces but due to under reporting or misclassification due to lack or thorough standards,
or unfamiliarity with the existing guidelines, people are not normally in the known of such
events as well as their actual or potential consequences and effective corrections actions
required.
Given the wide range of potential and/or actual undesired events associated with the myriad
of work groups in Ghana, there is the need to have a comprehension provision for
occupational safety and health standards and practice in the nation, with an unflinching
national leadership, support and commitment.
There are currently two major edicts that have provided guidance in the provision of
occupational / industrial safety and health services, practices and management in Ghana.
These include the Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970, Act 328 and the Mining
Regulations 1970 LI 665, but these have only driven the mining and the labour sectors and
are therefore very limited in scope, given the multifaceted distribution of industrial operations
that we have in Ghana. There is the Workmen’s Compensation Law 1987 work and hence,
indirectly impacts on monitoring worker / workplace safety. The Radiation Protection Board
of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission is also proactive in monitoring companies with
radiation exposure hazards for compliance, however, due to limited resources, effectiveness
of their activities is compromised. On a proactive side, the Ghana Chamber of Mines in
collaborations from each mining company in the nation that reviews and recommends
corrective actions for reported identified unsafe acts, conditions or failures in the existing

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Health and Safety system of the mining industry. This good initiative is however impeded by
availability of resources and hence enforcement is challenged.
There are other statutes which indirectly impact on Occupational Safety and Health and these
include the Environmental Protection Agency Act 490, the Ghana Health Service and
Teaching Hospitals Act 526, 1999 and the National Road Safety Commission Act 567 1999.
Though, Ghana is among the 183 member countries of ILO, which requires, as per the ILO
convention number 155 1981, that member countries formulate, implement and periodically
review a coherent policy on occupational safety and health and work environment, Ghana has
not yet rectified this convention and the nation has no established authority dedicated to
occupational Safety and Health to guide and facilitate the implementation of the “Action at
the National level” as indication of in the R164 Occupational Safety and Health
Recommendation, 1981. However, the Labour Act 2003, Act 651, Part XV, sections 118 to
120 apparently directs employers and employees in their roles and responsibilities in
managing Occupational Health, Safety and Environment in the nation, but is not specific
about whom to report accidents an occupational illnesses to. It is not clear or does not
specify what to consider as Occupational Illness. It does not specify who to be responsible for
ensuring the industries in Ghana implement corrective actions as per recommendations.
Currently, accidents that occur in factories are expected to be reported to the Department of
Factory Inspectorate (DFI) but Companies hardly report such events to the inspectorate for
investigation and correction. When these accidents get reported, it takes a long time before
corrective or preventive actions get implemented, hence, there is a little or no positive effect
of the action of the DFI on the factories.
The nation has been some positive “Safety and Health practice infection” among some of our
Ghanaian companies due to the influx of some multinational companies into the country,
given their corporate expectations with specific requirements in Occupational Safety and
Health practices. This stems from their requirements for the contractors, and subcontractors,
some of whom are Ghanaian, to follow their Health and Safety standards. Currently, the Oil
and Gas sector has introduced their side of approach to managing health and safety. This is
purely based on risks and it definitely is an improvement on what is existing. In as much as
this is a good effort and helps the Ghanaian the more with regard to which standard to follow
in the nation, and what is required to make employees and employers accountable. In the
academia, Occupational Health is not an option for specialization in a typical Ghanaian

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medical school. Safety engineering has not found its way into any our Engineering curricula
in Ghana yet. A potential intervention is the proposed Safety and Environmental Engineering
programme which is being expected to commence at the University of Mines and
Technology, but this is not approved yet. All other Safety & Health training programmes are
run either by international agencies or some few Ghanaian organisations but none of these
match-up to even a first degree, and the big question is, to what Ghanaian standards are these
courses being run?
Research Questions
The main research questions are:
a) Do Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and the Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM) have
the capacity to perform with regard to stakeholders’ health and safety practices at the
workplace?
b) What impact do the regulating bodies periodic assessment of HSPs have on the
workplace?
c) To what degree does stakeholders’ training impact the implementation of health and
safety practices at the workplace?
Research Objectives
a) Examine the institutional capacity of GSA and GCM for stakeholders’ HSPs at the
workplace.
b) Examine the effect of regulating bodies’ periodic assessment of HSPs at the
workplace.
c) Evaluate the stakeholders’ training effect on the implementation of HSPs at the
workplace.
Significance of the Study
The study can contribute to better understanding of HS practices and afterwards promotes
and sustains the OHS. In the long run, both employers, managers, employees, stakeholders
and all people who may be involved in working, may not only grasp the continuing benefits
of implementing HS practices, but also understand in a new light how to protect themselves
against work-induced illnesses, accidents, injuries and hazards. Implementing HS practices in
an excellent manner will raise employees’ morale and commitment resulting to an increased
efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. The study made an effort towards addressing the

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pressing HS needs of employers and workers, society, government and the world at large, and
thus be a data base for furtherance and improvement of OHS practices in workplaces.
Scope of the Study
The scope of OHS is too wide covering such disciplines as occupational medicine,
occupational hygiene, environmental hygiene, occupational psychology, HRM, engineering,
ergonomics and others. Nevertheless, this study concentrated at OHS within the scope of
HRM discipline. In spite of the fact that there are countless numbers of other factors that
influence implementation of OHS, this study is focused itself to the role of regulating bodies
vis à vis stakeholders’ health and safety practices in the workplace. This is because the role of
regulating bodies in the workplace is vague, since stakeholders cannot specifically point at a
particular regulating body to report to, if there might emerge a health and safety practice
related incident. Being conducted in Ghana Standard Authority and Ghana Chamber of
Mines, the study assiduously examined the role played by Ghana Standard Authority, Ghana
Chamber of Mines and employees’ involvement in implementing health and safety practices
in the workplace.
Research Method
A cross-sectional research design was employed in this study because it allowed the
researchers to combine the workplace stress research literature and the actual survey as a
main procedure to collect data for this study. Hence, a back translation technique was
employed to translate the content of questionnaire into Malay and English in order to increase
the validity and reliability of the instrument. Using this method may help to increase the
ability to gather accurate, less bias and high-quality data (Cresswell, 1998; Sekaran and
Bougie, 2011; Wright, 1996).
Organisation of the Study
This research work will be divided into five (5) chapters namely: The first chapter is the
introduction. This discusses the background of the study, statement of the problem, research
objectives, and research questions, significance of the study, research methods, and outline of
the study. The second chapter is the literature review. In this chapter, literature on relevant
topics from textbooks, journals, articles, and the media would be reviewed. The third chapter
is a methodology, and this seeks to represent the research method including the research
design, sampling method, variable, research location, and data collecting procedure. The

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fourth chapter is the presentation and analysis of findings: This chapter presents an analysis
of the data collected using parameters. The last chapter details a summary of the research
findings, the conclusion drawn from the study, and recommendations that would ensure an
effective implementation of health and safety practices at the workplace.
Definition of Terms
Health – The protection of the bodies and minds of people from illness resulting from the
materials, processes or procedures used in the workplace.
Safety – The protection of people from physical injury. The borderline between health and
safety is ill defined and the two words are normally used together to indicate concern for the
physical and mental well-being of the individual at the place of work.
Welfare – The provision of facilities to maintain the health and well-being of individuals at
the workplace. Welfare facilities include washing and sanitation arrangements, the provision
of drinking water, heating, lighting, accommodation for clothing, seating (when required by
the work activity or for rest), eating and rest rooms. First-aid arrangements are also
considered as welfare facilities.
Occupational or work-related ill health – This is concerned with those illnesses or physical
and mental disorders that are either caused or triggered by workplace activities. Such
conditions may be induced by the particular work activity of the individual, or by activities of
others in the workplace. The time interval between exposure and the onset of the illness may
be short (e.g. asthma attacks) or long (e.g. deafness or cancer)
Environmental protection – These are the arrangements to cover those activities in the
workplace which affect the environment (in the form of flora, fauna, water, air and soil) and,
possibly, the health and safety of employees and others. Such activities include waste and
effluent disposal and atmospheric pollution.
Accident – This is defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as ‘any unplanned
event that results in injury or ill health of people, or damage or loss to property, plant,
materials or the environment or a loss of a business opportunity’. Other authorities define an
accident more narrowly by excluding events that do not involve injury or ill health.

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Near miss – This is any incident that could have resulted in an accident. Knowledge of near
misses is very important as research has shown that, approximately, for every 10 ‘near miss’
events at a particular location in the workplace, a minor accident will occur.
Dangerous occurrence – This is a ‘near miss’ which could have led to serious injury or loss
of life. Dangerous occurrences are defined in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and
Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (often known as RIDDOR) and are always reportable to
the enforcement authorities. Examples include the collapse of a scaffold or a crane or the
failure of any passenger-carrying equipment.
Hazard and risk – A hazard is the potential of a substance, person, activity or process to
cause harm. Hazards take many forms including, for example, chemicals, electricity and
working from a ladder. A hazard can be ranked relative to other hazards or to a possible level
of danger.
A risk is the likelihood of a substance, activity or process to cause harm. A risk can be
reduced and the hazard controlled by good management.
It is very important to distinguish between a hazard and a risk – the two terms are often
confused and activities such as construction work are frequently called high risk when they
are high hazard. Although the hazard will continue to be high, the risks will be reduced as
controls are implemented. The level of risk remaining when controls have been adopted is
known as the residual risk. There should only be high residual risk where there is poor health
and safety management and inadequate control measures.
Ghana Standard Authorities: The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) was established by
the Standards Decree, 1973 (NRCD 173) as Ghana Standards Board, changing it from its
previous name, National Standards Board as it was when first established in August, 1967.
The GSA is the National Statutory Body responsible for Metrology, Standards, Testing,
Inspection and Certification. In 2011, its name was changed from Ghana Standards Board
(GSB) to its current name, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).
Ghana Chamber of Mines: The Ghana Chamber of Mines is the main minerals industry
association in Ghana. The Chamber is the umbrella body that represents the shared interests
of companies involved in mineral exploration, production and processing in the country. It
was founded in 1928 and has its members accounting for over 90 percent of all of the
country's mineral production.

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References
The Labour Principles of the United Nations Global Compact: A Guide for Business /
International Labour Office. - Geneva: ILO, 2008
- the four labour principles of the UN Global Compact which derive from the 1998 ILO
Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
https://www.gsa.gov.gh/2022/08/british-standards-institute-to-improve-gsas-technical-
capacity/
-ISO - GSA - Ghana Standards Authority
“Electrochem Ghana Limited”. / Panbros Salt Industries Refinery – Ltd – (Mile 7
Mendskrom, Accra.)
Hughes, P., & Ferrett, E. (2015). Introduction to health and safety in construction: For the
NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety. Routledge.
Businessghana.com
Ismail, A., Saudin, N., Ismail, Y., Samah, A. J. A., Bakar, R. A., & Aminudin, N. N. (2015).
Effect of workplace stress on job performance. Economic Review: Journal of Economics and
Business, 13(1), 45-57.
https://ghanachamberofmines.org/about-us/message-from-the-ceo/

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