Port workers advised to take occupational health and safety seriously
By Selorm GBORBIDZI, Accra
Staff of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) have been advised to take occupational health and safety seriously in the line of work.
In doing so, they would reduce the risk of workplace injuries.
This advice was given to the port workers, fishermen, and fishmongers during an Occupational Health and Safety Sensitization Programme held at the port yesterday.
Dr. Vitus Victor Anaab-Bisi, Chairman of the GPHA Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (OHSE) Committee, said the sensitization programme is part of the Committee’s mandate to ensure that persons who work at the port are aware of the policy and their responsibilities.
He stated that the Committee has been working since 2016 to ensure safety at the Tema and Takoradi ports and has developed guidelines meant to ensure staff safety and the development of the ports.
This guideline, he revealed, is reviewed biennially.
He was optimistic that the sensitization programme will ensure worker safety, empower staff, cause behavioral change, and foster a culture of worker accountability.
The Director of Port at Tema, Sandra Opoku, stressed the importance of worker safety and wellbeing, saying, “For GPHA, safety is crucial, and so is the health of our staff.
If we have staff reporting to the clinic with lumbar issues, then we know that there is something wrong.”
She continued, “If we don’t have healthy staff, if we don’t have a safe environment, then certainly we’ll have a problem in achieving our goals.”
The General Manager of Safety and Environment, Bernard Gaisie, advised the participants to be conscious of how their activities affect the environment in terms of pollution.
He informed them that there are guidelines on how waste generated in the port can be safely handled.
He said, “There are bins placed at vantage points around the port, so if you generate plastic waste, keep them and put them in the bin to be sent for recycling. Paper waste can also be turned into tissue.”
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) Coordinator explained that the Occupational Health, Safety, and Environment guidelines had been based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and therefore called upon the participants to come on board to push towards the achievement of the Goals.
Bernard Kuwornu, who represented the Harbour Master, advised the fishermen to avoid bringing their canoes into the berthing and anchoring area of the port, as they pose a danger to the bigger ships and are a potential collision hazard.
He indicated that as these are wooden vessels, they would not be picked up by sonar and could therefore be run into by the ships looking to berth or exit the anchorage.
He also advised them to stop casting their nets where they can be entangled with the bigger vessels, leading to accidents.
