Ghana to launch digital workplace safety compliance system

Ghana is launching the National Workplace Compliance and Safety Management System (NWCSMS), a digital, risk-based framework designed to modernize the country’s occupational safety and health enforcement. The initiative, announced by Labour Minister Dr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, aims to transition the Department of Factories Inspectorate from manual, reactive processes to a technology-driven system for registration, inspection, and compliance monitoring.

The reform follows data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) showing an increase in reported workplace accidents, rising from 1,043 in 2022 to 1,337 in 2023. The move addresses critical capacity constraints, including a national shortage of inspectors—with only 53 active Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) inspectors identified in a 2025 profile—and the challenges of monitoring a workforce where over 70% operates in the informal economy.

Minister Pelpuo emphasized that the system must be built on tripartism and social dialogue between the government, employers, and workers. He stated that a productive economy cannot be built on unsafe workplaces and that protecting workers from injuries and diseases is essential for sustainable job creation and economic transformation.