School of Social Sciences
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Browsing School of Social Sciences by Subject "Accidents"
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Item Workplace Safety and Accidents among Artisans at Kokompe - Accra, Ghana(University of Ghana, 2014-12) Appiah, S.O.Workplace safety and health is a crucial concern for all—wage earners, employers/management and the society as a whole. This is because workplace injuries and accidents have many ramifications on the life of the individual worker as well as others in society. Consequently, countries, as diverse as they are, have put in place mechanisms to ensure the safety of workers through several administrative, policy and legal instruments. Indeed, today the safety and health of workers is considered a global human rights issue. In spite of this, the informal sector that employed the majority of low skilled workers in developing economies is often neglected in most systematic studies. The informal sector has attracted less attention not only from government but also from academics, policy researchers and human rights advocacy groups. In the rare instances where studies are conducted, they tend to focus on productivity to the neglect of safety. In Ghana where the informal sector of the economy has outgrown the formal sector, as a consequence of the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) undertaken in the 1980s, and, the Highly Indebted but Poor Initiatives (HIPC) in the 2000s, have deregulated and liberalized the Ghanaian economy and resulted in shrinking the role of the state in job creation. Consequently, vehicle repairs and spare parts retail have become one of the common features of the informal economy since many middle-class workers rely on imported vehicles from Europe and the North America. In spite of the popularity of the vehicle repairs and spare parts business, the physical environment in which the artisans work, and their occupational health and safety (OHS) conditions are often absent from intellectual discourse regarding their business activities. As such, this study explored artisans’ experiences with occupational hazards and the coping strategies within their work environment. The study utilised the qualitative in-depth interview and observational methods to understand the general level of safety among the artisans at Kokompe in Accra. The artisans selected for the study included auto-mechanics, autoelectricians, auto-welders, auto sprayers and auto-spare parts dealers made up of master artisans, apprentices and other workers. In all 58 artisans were selected through convenience and snowballing sampling techniques. In addition, six key informants from state inspection agencies and other departments concerned with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in Ghana were interviewed. The study revealed that the general level of safety and working conditions among the artisans was poor as all processes—welding, spraying mechanical and other artisanal activities—were carried out at the same place often resulting in multiple exposures to different hazards and safety concerns. The predisposing factors leading to these were human, environmental and mechanical. However, most of the artisans attributed accidents and injuries to unforeseeable events or spiritual forces. Significantly, it was observed that the activities of the Department of Factories Inspectorate do not cover the operations of informal small-scale artisans. Among several recommendations, the study proposes the urgent need to incorporate basic occupational health and safety practices into the informal apprenticeship training sessions for the artisans. In addition, there is the urgent need to pass the National OHS Bill into law.