A safety passport has been introduced in the Ghanaian occupational health and safety market by Sheq Foundation an NGO in occupational health and safety based in Ghana and operating in the West African sub Region. The passport is in the long term intended to be a required license in order to be able to operate in any industry across the sub region.

The launching took place on Monday 29th April 2013, in Accra to mark world day of safety at the workplace which falls on 28th April every year. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated every year to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally.

It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health and on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide.

Speaking at the launch Richard Adu Darko the Executive Secretary of SHEQ FOUNDATION expatiated on the idea of the safety Passport, he made it clear that it has been established in response to the needs identified within the industry and has undertaken to develop and extend the safety passport culture across all interested sectors such as mining, manufacturing, oil and gas and construction.

The Foundation has developed a module to be studied called the SHEQ PASSPORT BOOK; upon completion of the book study an assessment is undertaken in groups after which a passport in the form of an ID is issued to suggest that one has undertaken basic training and understanding in Occupational safety and Health in order to be able to understand basic safety rules in any industry.

He noted that this is not an academic qualification, and it is not intended to replace any certification in safety but to enhance the understanding of safety at the work place.

According to him civil society has to work beyond rhetoric in order to be able to reduce the occurrence of workplace accidents through the breach of basic safety procedures.

He urged Industry and Government to embrace the concept of Safety passport to make a positive enhancement of health and safety standards at all levels among workers in the participating sector.