AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) recent estimate has revealed that more than 3 million workers die each year due to occupational accidents and diseases, with more than 395 million non-fatal work accidents.
This data, the ILO said corresponds to an increase of more than 5 per cent compared to data for 2015.
The Director, ILO country office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Liaison office for ECOWAS, Vanessa Phala who spoke at the Maiden Annual Occupational Safety and Health Summit in Abuja, said, beyond the physical and moral suffering, these accidents and illnesses constitute economic losses, which represent nearly 4% of GDP worldwide.
She said: “All these accidents and illnesses result from risk factors that could have been avoided by developing
strategies to achieve a safe and healthy work environment.
“That’s why, the tripartite constituents of the ILO adopted on June 10, 2022, during the 110th ILC as amendment making the safe and healthy working environment” one of the fundamental principles and rights at work, with Convention C155 (on occupational safety and health) and C187 (on the promotional framework for OSH) which have become the fundamental conventions.
“This decision further calls out the various actors in the world of work on the numerous dangers to which workers are exposed in the workplace and on the need to act together to better control the risks of industrial accidents and occupational illnesses which constitute harmful consequences on workers and their families but also on the productivity of companies and the development of the national economy.
“To this end, the combined provisions of Conventions C155 and C187 offer the great framework for
implementing the ILO’s global strategy for occupational safety and health in a systemic management approach based on the principles of continuous improvement”.
She congratulated the Nigerian authorities who she said took the initiative to ratify these two conventions even before they became fundamental.
“Indeed, it is since 1994 that Nigeria has been engaged in this systemic management approach with the ratification of Convention 155 and the adoption of its first national OSH policy, which the implementation has enabled to bring progressive changes in improving the working conditions and live quality at the different workplaces in the country.
“I note that in this process, the tripartite constituents of Nigeria validated on October 5th 2023, with full support of ILO, the content of the new country profile revised document which highlights the current situation of OSH in the country and proposes orientations (or directions) which will allow the next national program (2025-2030) to develop actions that will promote the achievement of a safe and healthy working environment as an ILO principle and fundamental right to work in Nigeria.
“Nigeria also ratified in 2022, Convention 190 on violence and harassment at work, which constitutes an important achievement in the process of protection against psychosocial risks and mental Health issues in the world of work.
“Despite the efforts already made, the work on occupational safety and health remains immense, hence the need to strengthen the mobilization of all OHS stakeholders in promotion and advocacy initiatives like this maiden national summit on OSH in Nigeria.
“In this regard, we are very pleased to note that the important issues mentioned above are part of the subjects to be discussed during this summit, of which, the central theme “Strategic Occupational Safety and Health Management Systen for Sustainable Preventive Cultural Development” is one of the key concerns of the ILO’s strategy in occupational safety and health.
“This is why we did not hesitate to provide our financial and technical support to this initiative, and I would therefore like to take this opportunity to congratulate the teams who worked directly or indirectly for the organization of this important maiden summit on OSH”.
The ILO Director urged participants to give the best of their contributions during the technical sessions so that the recommendations that will emerge from your work may enable national authorities and stakeholders to further strengthen the national culture of prevention and the continuous improvement of working condition and life quality at work in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Speaking earlier, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha said Nigeria faces challenges of occupational safety and health ranging from inadequate safety standards to lack of awareness and unreported work accidents and injuries, saying the present administration is determined to ensure safety at work for workers.
She said the ministry is committed to changing the narratives by bringing together relevant stakeholders to promote adoption of safety-first mindset and develop a culture of safety at work place.
The minister commended the ILO over it’s contributions to the issue of occupational safety and health in the country.
