About us

Who We Are

DFI is a department under the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.It is the Agency responsible for ensuring that employers provide and maintain at the workplace, plant and system of work that are safe and ensure the health and safety of employees engaged in a particular work by providing the necessary information, instructions, training and supervision having regard to the age, literacy level and any other circumstance of the employee. Specifically, the DFI through the Chief Inspector has the statutory responsibility for the enforcement of Occupational Safety and Health in Ghana.

Our Vision

The vision of the Department is of safe and healthy workplaces within a viable Occupational Safety and Health System which reduces the impact of workplace injuries by providing the highest level of service to employees and employers.

Our Mission

To promote measures that would safeguard the health and safety of persons employed in premises which fall within the purview of the Factories, Offices and Shops Act (FOSA, 1970), Act 328.

Our Values

The values of the Department of Factories Inspectorate are:

Integrity
Accountability
Teamwork
Customer Satisfaction
Commitment

The Chief Factories Inspector

As Chief Inspector of Factories, I would like to welcome you all to our website. This website is designed to give you available information about the Department, and to interact with you before you visit our various offices across the country. Take time to read the content on this website to know more about the Department of Factories Inspectorate.

History of the Department of Factories Inspectorate

The safety and health of workers has always been a concern for governments throughout the years. This is because the safety and health of workers directly and indirectly affects the health and economic fortunes of the nation.

Prior to independence, the health and safety of workers in the industries of Ghana was protected by the Factories Ordinance 1948 under the British government. This led to the creation of Factory Inspectors as part of the Department of Labour. The Factories Ordinance 1948 was changed to the Factories Act 1952 and remained the main occupational health and safety legislation in force until its repeal by the Factories, Offices, and Shops Act 1970. Act 328. There were some regulations made under the previous law (Factories Ordinance 1952) which were carried over into the Factories, Offices, and Shops Act 1970 and are still in force. The Factory Inspectors continued with their work as part of the Department of Labour until the year 1983 when the Department of Factories Inspectorate was created as a separate unit to focus exclusively on Occupational health and safety issues of workers.

MR. GEORGE GASHON

Ag. Chief Inspector OF Factories

The initial staff were five (5) Inspectors and ten (10) supporting staff with Mr. T. F. Bruce as the Chief Inspector of Factories.

The Offices in Kumasi, Takoradi and Koforidua were created to oversee health and safety issues in the developing industrial areas. The Ashanti Regional office had additional responsibility for the Brong- Ahafo and all the northern regions. The Western Regional office also had oversight responsibility of the Central region.

In 1991 The Northern Regional Office was created in Tamale to oversee safety and health matters in the North, Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Office was setup and separated from the Ahanti in an effort to bring safety closer to the various workplaces.

As the focus on health and safety increased globally, there was a need for another office in the northern part of the country. This led to the creation of the Upper East Regional office located in Bolgatanga.

In the year 2017 and 2018, workers and employers stated the need for accessibility to the office of the state regulator for safety. In response to these demands, new regional offices in the Volta and Central Regional offices were established. The Tema office was also upgraded to a regional office.

The Department of factories Inspectorate is headed by the current Ag. Chief Inspector of Factories, Mr. George Gashon with a total staff strength of 125 Inspectors and supporting staff. The Department has ten (10) regional offices with a head office in Accra.

The list of the various Chief Inspectors who have headed the Department are as follows:

No.	NAME	RANK	DURATION
1	Mr. T. F. Bruce	Chief Inspector of Factories	1983 – 2001
2	Mr. Owusu-Mensah	Chief Inspector of Factories	2001 – 2002
3	Mr Nkansah	Chief Inspector of Factories	2002 – 2004
4	Mrs. Victoria Hrisir-Quaye	Chief Inspector of Factories	2004 – 2005
5	Mr. B. N. O. Addy	Chief Inspector of Factories	2005 – 2009
6	Mr Felix Adjei Boye	Chief Inspector of Factories	2009 – 2014
7	Rev. Frederick Ohene Mensah	Chief Inspector of Factories	2014 – 2021
8	Mr. Paul Akrong	Chief Inspector of Factories	2021 – 2022
9	Mr. George Gashon	Ag. Chief Inspector of Factories	2022 – Date

What we require from clients

To treat agency staff with courtesy
To attend scheduled meetings punctually
To respond to requests for information by the agency accurately, thoroughly and in a timely manner
To abide by the legal requirements and other obligations stated in Annex 1 and 2 in order to be eligible for services sought.
Provide the means required by an Inspector as necessary for an entry, inspection, examination, inquiry, the taking of samples, or otherwise, for the exercise of powers with respect to the safety and health of a factory, office, or shop.
Report forthwith all occupational accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. A prescribed form for such reporting, (FI-4), with the prescribed particulars are provided in Annex 3.

What clients can expect from us

Timely responses to all requests
Confidentiality and privacy
Clear unbiased responses on enquiries made
Efficiency
The right to appeal decisions of the DFI
The right to information based on terms and conditions.
A strong work ethic

Functions

The functions of the Department are:

a. Inspection of factories and workplaces to ensure that reasonable standards of safety and health of workers are maintained

b. Registration of factories and renewal of Certificate of registration

c. Industrial hygiene surveys

d. Occupational Health surveillance and medical supervision of workers.

e. Investigation of reportable Occupational Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences

f. Supervision of statutory examination and test of potentially hazardous plant and equipment (steam boilers, unfired pressure vessels, lifting machinery,)

g. Examination of building plans with respect to factories

h. Prosecution of offences under Act 328

i. Occupational Safety and health education of workers.

Objectives

The objective of the Department is to prevent occupational accidents and diseases that arise from exposure to stressors in the working environment, by the promotion and enforcement of measures that would safeguard the health and safety of workers, using as a basis, the provisions of the Factories, Offices and Shops Act and its related regulations.