Impact of Health and Safety Management on Employee Safety at the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority

Abstract

The Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) has been plagued with series of fatal accidents and catastrophes claiming the lives of many employees in recent years. The purpose of this study is to examine the Safety and Health Management Systems (SHMS) implemented by the GPHA, assess the effectiveness of these measures in reducing accidents and death; and evaluate the impact of accidents and work-related illnesses on the employee safety at work. The results reveal an organisation fraught with poor health and safety management practices, poor training in safety know-how, lack of information on dangerous chemicals and hazardous materials, lack of monitoring and enforcement of safety rules, unavailability of essential safety equipments, with adverse effects on employees and the organisational performance. GPHA must increase education and create awareness of the importance of health and safety, ensure collection and storage of data for effective monitoring and evaluation of safety performance.

Keywords: Ghana, Ports, Harbour, Safety, Health