Occupational Health and Safety challenges in the Ghanaian construction industry

Abstract: The prevalence of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) issues in most of the African countries have been attributed to the insufficient attention received from industry and government. The review of literature in the existing body of knowledge becomes paramount on the subject matter. The road map for the identification of occupational health and safety practices in the Ghanaian construction industry was obtained through literature review. Studies relevant to OHS practices were selected out of the numerous studies reviewed, through a rigorous process. The results from the literature study were analysed to obtain specific issues that are relevant to the OHS in the Ghanaian construction industry. Based on the identified practices, needs are clearly defined and strategies are proposed to come out with appropriate solutions for health and safety improvements in the Ghanaian construction industry. Findings from the study show that ignorance and lack of interest in dealing with OHS issues in Ghana is one of the contributing factors to the OHS challenging. It is concluded that proactive measures should be provided at all levels of organisations in the country to deal with OHS issues. There should also be the establishment of OHS culture robust enough to deal with all issues in the country. Serious attention should be given to effective OHS management in order to eliminate accident in the construction industries