In collaboration with Union-to-Union (UtoU) and SBTF, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Africa and Middle East brought together affiliated unions in Ghana for a three-day workshop to strengthen occupational safety and health (OSH) protections in the workplace.

Held from 29 September to 1 October 2026, 25 union members, including nine women, came together to strengthen the capacity of unions to organise workers, identify and prevent hazards in the workplace. Participants learned how to influence employers and authorities, negotiate stronger OSH protections and implement trade union campaigns for safe and healthy workplaces.

The opening session was led by BWI affiliate the Public Utilities Workers’ Union (PUWU), which emphasised the importance of practical OSH interventions at the workplace.

OSH expert Chris Abokah presented an overview of the OSH situation in Ghana, highlighting practical solutions to some of the challenges facing workers. He underlined OSH as a trade union issue, focusing on how workers can identify risks that may be overlooked in formal reports and why occupational safety and health should be a priority for trade unions.

Enoch Cudjoe of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Ghana delivered a presentation on OSH as a fundamental workers’ right, highlighting the role of trade unions in promoting safe and healthy workplaces. He also outlined the relevant ILO standards, including Conventions 155 and 187.

BWI Global Director for Construction and Health & Safety Linnea Wikström guided participants on how to translate international standards into workplace demands, collective bargaining claims and trade union campaigns.

Participants developed practical skills in identifying hazards, assessing and preventing risks, and investigating workplace incidents using evidence, workers’ testimonies and proper documentation.

Sessions also covered ILO Convention No. 167, the revised ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction, as well as the risks of working at height, excavation, machinery, lifting operations, temporary structures and subcontracted work.

On day two, participants visited a construction site in Accra, where they engaged with site managers and recording their own observations – a chance to see OSH practice in a real setting and consider how safety standards could be strengthened.

The workshop closed with a clear message: safe and healthy work is a fundamental right. Prevention begins with workers’ knowledge and protection must reach every worker, including temporary and subcontracted workers.