Accra, April 28, GNA – The General Construction, Manufacturing and Quarries Workers’ Union (GCMQWU) has urged employers to adhere to safety measures at the workplace and also provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to reduce workplace accidents and deaths.
The Union also called on all workers in the sector to protect themselves by using the PPE appropriately to prevent injury at the workplace.
A statement signed by Mrs Comfort A. Agambaa, the General Secretary of GCMQWU to commentate this year’s International Workers’ Day said.
She said:” The Union and its leadership commemorate this day as a day of mourning to our members who lost their lives through their work and also continue to fight for the living.”
Workers Memorial Day also known as International Workers’ Memorial Day or Commemoration day for the dead and injured is an annual event in remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell during the performance of their works or jobs.
Every year, April 28 is set aside to commemorate the day world over.
The theme for this year is “Health and Safety is a Fundamental Workers’ Right”.
Mrs Agambaa said the theme re-emphasised the importance of workplace health and safety, especially in this pandemic.
She said: “As we commemorate this day, it is prudent to recognise the importance of gender differences at your workplaces in ensuring the safety and health of both men and women.
According to the ILO Worldwide Labour Safety Statistics, more than two million men and women die yearly as a result of work-related accidents and diseases; workers suffers approximately 270 million accidents each year and about 160 million incidents of work-related illnesses from hazardous substances.
One worker dies every 15 seconds worldwide and six thousand workers die every day, in this case more people die while at work than those fighting Wars.
The General Secretary said as a Union, they believed that a lot more could be achieved, if gender differences were considered in the development of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) policies and prevention strategies.
These policies, she said would enable employers to identify the differences that exist between men and women workers, in terms of risks and find solutions to them.
“As we commemorate this day, it is prudent to recognise the importance of gender differences at your workplaces in ensuring the safety and health of both men and women.
“We congratulate our gallant workers on this important day for your enormous contributions to the development of the Ghanaian economy. We know the vulnerability due to the nature of your job or work in the sector and the perception of its nature being looked down as dirty, dangerous, degrading, disrespect among others.
“Health and Safety issues remain a key concern in the sector for employees in their quest to perform their individual assignments or duties,” she added.
GNA