From Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan/
To improve safety at home and in the workplace, members of the public have been charged to first and foremost take mastery of their environment.
The Southwest Regional Manager, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Mrs. Toyin Emeordi made the clarification on Friday while speaking with newsmen at the regional headquarters, Ring Road, Ibadan.
She spoke through the Head of Inspection for the Region, Mr. Onifade Oluwagbenga before embarking on a sensitization road show as part of activities to commemorate the 2023 World Day for Safety and Health themed “A Safe and Healthy Working Environment: A Fundamental Right”.
According to him, the knowledge of one’s environment both private and public will help people come up with ideas or work plans to improving the situation.
He said the importance of the celebration of the annual event was to instill in every member of the public whether in the public or private sector, formal or informal to maintain a safe environment.
He said, “What people need to do to improve safety is to be aware of their environment and the hazards around them. It is only when you are aware of the hazards around you that you can work hard to eliminate it.
“When the employer and the employee are aware of the hazards around them, then they can begin to work to improve the environment, that is the only time they can say they are safe both in the workplace and at home.
“Your personal safety, whereby you take to cognizance that you don’t own your life alone, but you are affected by others. The more you keep your safety, the more you are taking care of your family; it’s about safety for everyone for both yourself and those around you, keeping yourself safe and keeping your environment safe.”
He said that the NSITF through its Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) department had been all out trying to sensitize people.
“It is not just about the celebration, as it were, we are all out to distribute fliers and sensitize people. What we normally do is to go to organizations to sensitize them on the importance of safety not only to them but to others because when you are not selfish with safety you will know that it’s something that must go with you. You should know it has to do with others as well.
“As we celebrate today, we are engaging in road shows to sensitize people, we talk to them in different groups and individually on what safety is all about and the importance as well. We also have a medical team on ground to do medical check for people, passersby, and other willing individuals. We also give advice to people on how to stay safe.
“NSITF is out for everyone, if only we can harness the opportunity which the funds have. It is not only about safety but also about providing minimum social protection for you, either you are in the public or private sector, it boils down to the fact that you have to take care of yourself and your loved ones which is our mandate at NSITF.”
Speaking on how the efforts of the NSITF in the region has helped to improve safety, the Senior Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Mrs. Obiefule Ngozi said claims on incidents had reduced drastically.
She added that the NSITF had also helped employers and employees to improve their areas of challenges in terms of providing and improving safety within and outside the workplaces.
She said, “For now, we are doing very good. When the fund started 2013 till date, we have over 900 claims, but as at this year alone, the claims have reduced drastically.
“And we believe that we are about to achieve this due to our sensitization as to safety at workplace. So, most people are becoming safety conscious and most employers are into more inspection programmes and accident investigation programmes.
“We are able to conduct what we call inspections and some of the employers assists, and we have also helped to provide so many safety gadgets for some of the employers like fire trucks, fire extinguishers, anywhere we noticed that the company cannot afford much, we have also come in and supply enough tools for such companies.
“And scene of accident investigation we normally carry out anytime there is accident has also helped to bring about a kind of correctional actions from the management of most of these organizations so that such accidents don’t occur again in the future. Those are the things that have helped to curtail most of these accidents.”
Also, the Regional Head HSE, Mr. Gbenga Oso said this year’s Theme ‘A Safe and Healthy Working Environment: A Fundamental Right’ is supported by Nigeria’s 1999 constitution as amended section 17.3c and other Safety Acts globally.
The guest lecturer, Mr. Imoisili Obinyan in his presentation harped on the importance of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), urging both the employers and employees to take responsibility of personal and collective safety in the interest of all.
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