Workplace Safety And Accidents Among Artisans At Kokompe - Accra, Ghana

ABSTRACT

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.