Ghana is moving to overhaul its workplace inspection regime with a digital, risk-based system as rising reported accidents and limited inspection capacity expose gaps in the enforcement of occupational safety standards.
The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment said it will introduce the National Workplace Compliance and Safety Management System (NWCSMS), which will allow the Department of Factories Inspectorate (DFI) to use data to identify high-risk workplaces and target inspections more effectively.
The initiative comes as official data show reported workplace accidents increased to 1,337 in 2023 from 1,043 a year earlier, according to information cited by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Labour Minister Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo said the new system must be built around tripartism and social dialogue involving government, employers and workers, arguing that workplace safety should be treated as a shared responsibility.
“A productive economy cannot be built on unsafe workplaces,” Pelpuo said, stressing the need for safe, healthy and dignified working environments as Ghana seeks to expand productive employment.
The reform addresses a significant capacity constraint identified in Ghana’s first national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Profile, launched in 2025. The ILO said the assessment found only 53 active OSH inspectors nationwide, alongside weak mechanisms for recording and analysing occupational injuries and diseases. More than 70% of Ghana’s workforce operates in the informal economy, where OSH coverage remains limited.
The digital system could therefore change how the DFI allocates scarce inspection resources by shifting from broad or largely manual processes towards risk-based monitoring. The DFI is responsible for inspecting workplaces, investigating reportable occupational accidents and enforcing occupational safety requirements under the Factories, Offices and Shops Act.
For businesses, the change could mean greater visibility of compliance failures, particularly in higher-risk industries such as construction, manufacturing and mining. It could also reduce uncertainty around inspections if workplace compliance records become more systematically captured and assessed.
The reform is also tied to a broader legislative and institutional review. The Chief Director of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service, Sylvanus Adzornu, called for the DFI’s organisational manual to be reviewed to reflect contemporary workplace safety practices, while noting that its existing legislative framework dates back several decades.
Chief Director of the Ministry Hamidu Adakurugu said the initiative should not be treated simply as a normal project, pointing to the need for institutional capacity, human resources, organisational reforms and change management.
The Labour Act, 2003 already requires employers to report occupational accidents and diseases and provides for labour inspection to enforce workplace safety, health and welfare requirements.
The government will now need to ensure that the new system is effectively implemented, supported by adequate resources and adopted by businesses and workers to improve workplace safety and compliance across the country.
