Occupational Health and Safety in the Workplace: A Case of the Central Administration of the University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

Abstract

The paper presents Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) at the work place with reference to the Central Administration of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale Campus. The majority of employees' working lives are spent at work. Individuals' mental well-being is enhanced by work, which gives economic, social, and psychological experiences. The work environment should be devoid of hazards as much as possible to provide healthy and decent work for the employees. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to document employees' understanding and appreciation of occupational health hazards at the work place, the effects of these hazards on the health of staff and its impact thereon on staff productivity. The study made use of structured qualitative data which was made up of one hundred and twenty (120) Administrators out of a total number of 335 across the various departments of the Central Administration of UDS, Tamale Campus. The results of the study indicate that, employees have a fair understanding of OHS in the University. The study, among others, recommends the establishment of a policy on OHS in the University and constitutes an OHS committee which will be given full mandate to implement its recommendations. Future study need to consider the causes and effects of psychosocial risk factors associated with staff at the workplace.