President John Agyekum Kufuor on Monday called on industrial establishments to regulate the importation of industrial machinery and equipment to ensure that they met the required safety standards.

He advised the factories against going in for machinery that had been phased-out in their countries of origin because of their failure to meet the standards.

This was contained in an address read on his behalf by Mrs Cecilia Bannerman, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment at the launching of the "Occupational Safety and Health Week at Tema.

The week under the theme: "Occupational safety and health in the new millennium-A proactive approach" was intended to sensitise workers, management and the public on safety/health issues and the impact of occupational accidents and diseases on national economic development and the life of the people.

It was under the sponsorship of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

President Kufuor said obsolete machines were sources of hazards such as high noise levels and harmful emissions while dangerously exposed parts contributed to occupational accidents and diseases.

He said 2,096 industrial accidents were reported to the Chief Inspector of Factories between 1995 and 2000 out of which 48 lost their lives in the course of their employment.

There was the need also for a major re-orientation of the present attitude that injuries and diseases were inevitable concomitants of occupational activities.

He said the old emphasis on compensation after injuries and diseases or death had taken their toll based on this assumption and should give way to a preventive and more positive attitude that accidents were preventable.

To this end, the President called for the review of the Workmen's Compensation Laws so that the premium paid for insurance in the event of accidents could be invested in the promotion of occupational safety and health at work.

President Kufuor said employers must see it as an obligation to provide protective gadgets and ensure that the workers used them effectively to prevent and control hazards.This would obviate consequential risks, not only to the workers and employers but also the community and the nation as a whole.

There was also the need to review safety/health laws to reflect the reality of the occupational hazards and the informal sector including agricultural workers should be considered.

In a welcoming address, Mr Samuel Owusu-Mensah, Deputy Chief Factory Inspector, said the high number of accidents should be of great concern for management of establishments to address.

In a goodwill message the Trades Union Congress (TUC) noted that stress and hypertension were also occupational hazards affecting white-colour workers and called for educational programme on such diseases for them.The TUC said it had observed over the years that parliamentarians, chief executives and high top class officials were at a greater risk of suffering from hypertension and heart diseases than those of lesser calling.

It said the culture of safety/health should cover peasant farmers, housewives and self-employed in both in small and large-scale enterprises, pointing out that those at risk were mostly aged between 18 and 55 regardless of sex.

Other messages came from Ghana Employers Association and the Association for Ghana Industries.The programme, which was organised by the Department of Factories Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment for representatives of the industrial establishments, was poorly attended.