Alarming new figures released by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) reveal that more than 1,000 Ghanaians lost their lives in road crashes between January and April 2025. Thousands more have sustained injuries—many life-altering—in what experts are now calling a national safety emergency.
According to Eric Siaw Nartey, a certified Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Specialist and a global safety advocate, these fatal incidents are far from accidental. “They are predictable and preventable, and Ghana’s current approach to road safety lacks the system, structure, and accountability needed to stop the bleeding,” he said.
Drawing from globally recognized safety standards such as OSHA 1910, ISO 45001, NEBOSH, and IOSH UK, Nartey argues that the country must now transition from reaction to prevention—a model that has proven successful in high-risk sectors like oil and gas, aviation, and construction.
Grim Statistics Reflect Systemic Failures
The NRSA’s 2025 data underscores disturbing realities:
• Over 1,000 deaths in 4 months
• Thousands of injuries, many disabling
• Persistent causes include:
o Reckless driving and overspeeding
o Vehicle neglect and poor maintenance
o Inadequate enforcement
o Absence of roadworthiness assessments
o No driver fatigue or transport risk assessments in workplaces
According to Nartey, “We treat roads like battlefields and hope for the best. This isn’t safety; it’s organized negligence.”
SHEQ Principles: The Pathway to Saving Lives
Nartey recommends that Ghana adopt SHEQ systems—commonly used to manage safety in hazardous industries—as a new national framework for road transport.
1. Mandate Road Risk Assessments
As required by ISO 45001, organizations must assess all operational risks. This includes journey management, route hazard identification, and driver fatigue analysis. These are routine in UK and EU logistics sectors, yet absent in Ghana.
2. Certify Commercial Drivers
Every commercial driver should be trained in defensive driving, first aid, and hazard identification, just as workers in construction and oil platforms undergo HSE induction. Globally, NEBOSH and IOSH certifications mandate this as baseline competency.
3. Employer Accountability
Nartey insists Ghana needs enforcement models like the UK’s PUWER and Corporate Manslaughter Act, where fleet owners and employers are held legally accountable for deaths caused by unsafe transport operations.
4. Incident Investigation Frameworks
Rather than merely reporting fatalities, the NRSA should adopt root cause analysis, as done in OSHA and HSE UK incident investigation models. Every crash must become a learning opportunity.
5. Standardize Terminal Safety
Nartey advocates for a minimum SHEQ standard at every bus and transport terminal:
• Emergency response plans
• ISO 7010-compliant safety signage
• Randomized compliance audits
• On-site HSE officers
The Bigger Picture: It’s About All of Us
Nartey cautions that the crisis is not just about “bad drivers” but a collective failure:
• Employers must treat road transport as an occupational risk.
• Regulators must enforce compliance, not just issue fines.
• Government must make HSE training mandatory across transport sectors.
• Ghanaians must reject normalizing risk and demand higher standards.
We Don’t Need Posters, We Need Policy
“We must stop mourning and start managing,” Nartey urges. “Every road death is not just a tragedy—it’s a signal that something fundamental is broken.”
With over a decade of experience, international certifications, and policy knowledge, Eric Siaw Nartey is one of Ghana’s leading voices in SHEQ. He is calling on the government, transport unions, and the public to unite behind a new safety revolution—one that saves lives, not just counts bodies.
About Eric Siaw Nartey
Eric Siaw Nartey is a certified SHEQ Specialist with a Master’s in Occupational Health, Safety & Risk Management. He is a Certified IOSH Member (UK), a Member of the World Safety Organization (Qatar Chapter), a Graduate Member of GHISEP, and a Lead Auditor in ISO 45001:2018 and ISO 9001:2015 systems. He holds a NEBOSH IGC, IOSH MS UK, and an International Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice (Level 6, UK). He is also the author of the peer-reviewed publication: “Accident Investigation Impact on Safety Climate: Moderating Roles of Management and Employees in Ghanaian Construction” (IJFMR)
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