The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) said it conducted 5,592 occupational safety and health activities at various work places across the nation in the last one year.
The Fund also called for proactive measures to safeguard the safety and well-being of workers in the face of climate change.
According to a statement issued by the NSITF Spokesperson, Mr Nwachikwu Godson, the Fund’s Managing Director, Maureen Allagoa, spoke during her address at an event to mark the 2024 World Day for Safety and Health at Work,
Allagoa said the agency is fully committed to creating safe, healthy, and sustainable workplaces for all Nigerian workers.
“The prevention of workplace accidents through a robust occupational safety and health(OSH) programmes is the first step in the dynamic processes of the Employees’ Compensation. OSH is the primary charge in our responsibilities as the nation’s apex social security organisation. And we have pursued this life-saving process with all vigour since I assumed office about a year ago.
“The reason is that a well-managed NSITF anchors strongly on accident prevention rather than on rehabilitation, payment of claims, or compensations, which may be inversely proportional to the failure of occupational safety activities. Our target, therefore, is to intensify efforts and double the figure by this time next year.” She said.
Breaking down the numbers, Allagoa
said the figure shows that between May 2023 to April 2024, the agency which is ever committed to the improvement of safety and health in the world of work, conducted a total of 3234 occupational health and safety audit. The MD said the Fund also conducted a total of 1614 awareness and enlightenment campaigns, and 744 follow-up on cases in various workplaces across the federation, using our 12 regional and 57 branch offices.
Further elaborating, the organisation’s readiness to expand its efforts, the she noted that although the primary focus has been on environmental and humanitarian concerns, it is vital to acknowledge that climate change also presents notable obstacles to occupational safety and health.
According to her, “Climate change affects workplaces in various ways, including excessive heat, increased exposure to extreme weather events, Ultra-Violent radiation, vector-borne diseases, agrochemicals, air pollution, as well as changes in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters.
“These environmental shifts jeopardize the physical well-being of workers and impact their mental health and overall productivity. Moreover, numerous health challenges are linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and mental health disorders.”
She therefore said the NSITF as the custodian of workplace safety and health has already adopted proactive measures to tackle these challenges head-on.