Be vigilant, take safety, health serious, Oguntala advises automobile engineers, workers

CHINYERE IKEANYI

The Deputy President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr Margaret Aina Oguntala, has advised the automobile engineers and workers that as life returns to normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic, they must become more vigilant and take ownership of the safety and health of all within the workspace.

Engr. Oguntala gave the advice on Wednesday during the flag-off of Safe Automotive Works held at the Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUATECH) Ikorodu.

She said the advice became necessary because the statement of The Rev’d Martin Luther King, which said “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”, must not be ignored and must be adhered to t all times.

“The recent events of the COVID-19 pandemic have given greater credence to this statement in our time more than any other point in our collective history. As the pandemic raged, we saw the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) systems stretched to their limit nationally and globally, we saw first-hand the vital importance of strengthening our OSH systems and the unrivalled gains of collaborating effectively as governments, employers, workers, and citizens. Everyone’s input was felt and meaningful in protecting billions of vulnerable people all across the world”, the NSE Deputy President pointed out.

She said the lessons learnt should not be lost, adding that automotive engineers and workers must continue to have dialogues and conversations to further develop the OSH policies and regulatory frameworks in order to always be a step ahead of the present and emerging challenges.

“We must build an inclusive environment that bestows ownership of OSH policies and regulations to all individuals and not just Managers”, she added.

Stating that Safe Automotive Works (SAW) is an active response to the challenges we face as a nation in the automotive sector, she then said “It is, therefore, very encouraging that the Safe Automotive Works has been purposely designed to reduce the risk of injury, debilitating occupational health hazards, and associated environmental challenges that automobile workers and workshops are exposed to in the course of their work”.

She encouraged members of the Project Team to strengthen their collaboration with other stakeholders in this area and sustain the veritable platform for all stakeholders to reflect and contribute to making safety a way of life for our automobile technicians.

According to her, “As life returns to normalcy after the pandemic, we all must become more vigilant and take ownership of the safety and health of all within the workspace”.

Engr. Margaret Oguntala commended Engr. Osazoduwa Agboneni and her team for successfully secured this vital grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering United Kingdom to make event possible  and for continuous stride as a leading female Mechanical Engineer, “blazing the trail through her impeccable leadership as the Managing Director of Nenis Engineering Limited and Founder, Nenis Foundation”.

She further said: “Her work and impact in engineering development are noteworthy and bring a lot of pride to the role of women in engineering in Nigeria. I am excited because with her work, many more girls can gladly take up engineering as a profession knowing they have a mentor of repute like Oduwa”.

In her speech on the occasion, the Project Manager/Grant Awardee, Engr. Osazoduwa  Agboneni, disclosed that not only how the NSE will promote a healthy and safe engineering practices in the automobile sector in Lagos, but how to use automotive waste as a sustainable strategy to gain wealth and improve the economy of Nigeria while mitigating climate change action.

According to Agboneni, the project objectives include: Launch awareness Campaign #4RsandU (Reduce Reuse Repair Recycle and Upcycle) in August 2022 as a tool to reduce health, safety and environmental hazards caused in and by the automotive industry; Train and certify 200 automobile technicians within the ages of 16-50 years on health and environmental education about occupational and non- occupational diseases in Lagos by September 2022; and increase automotive maintenance knowledge of 100 technicians on proper assessment of problem- diagnostics, troubleshooting, tech material referencing) for a longer and better vehicle performance in December 2022.

Others are to carry out safety education for 1,000 automotive workers towards better sensitization on health and safety issues (use of personal protective equipment, proper use of equipment, workplace standards and policy review, adoption and implementation where need; and train and certify 50 fresh graduates on two emerging technologies needed for zero waste management (data collection and analysis, and additive manufacturing) by June 2023 honouring them as Auto Waste Ambassadors.

“We will set up the pilot auto waste hub/museum in the rural part of Lagos to create direct employment for 10 fresh beneficiaries of ‘Get an instant job’ as Auto Waste Ambassadors (AWA) whose responsibility is to encourage a green economy while ensuring automotive workshops and technicians maintain a green automotive centre by implementing the 4RS and U automotive waste management in Lagos by October 2023. We will develop an automotive waste management digital platform by October 2023”, she said.

Engr. Agboneni stated that the duration for all these would be between July 2022 and December 2023 the approach will be through: Training and Workshops Execution; Public Sensitization and Awareness Campaigns; Continuous Education; Monitoring & Evaluation; Numbers of trainings and workshops executed; Number of public sensitizations and awareness campaigns and  continuous education strategies and impact.

“This project gives us as the lead organization an avenue to implement our corporate social responsibility to our community by mitigating climate change action and an opportunity to scale our impact of creating more job opportunities. Another strong benefit for us is taking the lead in developing a technologically driven business model for automotive industry in Nigeria”, Engr. Agboneni further stated.

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