The Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners-Ghana has called on the Government to improve the capacity of members on Occupational Health to manage and respond appropriately to work- related illnesses and injury.

A communiqué issued at the end of the 38th Annual General Congress of the Society in Tema, signed by Dr Isaac Charles Noble Morrison, the President of the Society, called on government to train more occupational health practitioners to promote health and safety at the workplace.

The seven-point communiqué called on occupational health personnel to educate employees working with hazardous materials and in high risk industries and locations on the dangers they are exposed to.

Government should also ensure that the necessary protective measures were taken with regards to their health and safety, it said.

It called on the Ministry of Labour Relations to resource the Labour Department to conduct regular assessment and inspection of industries and workplaces to ensure that safety guidelines are implemented and adhered to.

Employers, the communique said, should continue to help in the rehabilitation of injured workers and possibly reinstate them in positions where they could be useful.

It called for severe sanctions against employers that failed to live up to the high standards set by the labour inspectors.