National Tripartite Committee reviews coronavirus guidelines at workplaces

The National Tripartite Committee (NTC) on Thursday, February 4 held an emergency meeting to review its guidelines on the fight against coronavirus at workplaces.

The meeting was chaired by the Minister-designate for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah.

The meeting was to review the guidelines in order to complement the government’s efforts against COVID-19.

Among the guidelines agreed upon is that all employers must ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) and related facilities for the safety and health of workers are provided in compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols.

“All workplaces should constitute Safety Committees to deal with issues concerning COVID-19.”

The Safety Committees are expected to appoint focal persons who will have the responsibility of liaising with health professionals in the event of an outbreak of the virus.

“The names of Safety Committee members should be displayed on notice boards and at vantage points in all workplaces.”

Employers are also supposed to create an enabling environment for physical distancing at workplaces.

It is expected that a joint task force of the Labour Department and the Department of Factories Inspectorate will visit firms and report to the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations every two weeks.

So far, Ghana’s total active cases are at 6,948 with 494 deaths since the outbreak of the disease in March 2020.