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By Merit Ibe
•Deputy General Manager, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF)HRM Agboma Okoroafor (2nd right); Lagos Regional Manager, NSIFT, AbdulLateef Musa and other staff of the Region during the 2024 world day for safety and health at work in Lagos yesterday. Photo: Temitope Aina
In the light of the climate change which is affecting environments and also the health and safety of workers, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has called for collaborative implemention of control measures to protect all workers.
The Fund made the call while marking the World Day for Safety and Health 2024 themed: “The impact of climate change on occupational health and safety,” which is usually celebrated on April 28 of every year.
World day for safety and health is a day set aside by the world body – International Labor Organization (ILO) to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally. It is an awareness raising event to draw the attention of the world to critical health and safety issues of the day.
The NSITF joined in the celebration as it is germane to the core function of the Fund.
In his remarks, the Regional Manager, Lagos State, Abdul Lateef Musa, noted that climate change is not just affecting the environment but also affecting the way work is being done and the health and safety of workers generally.
Citing the ILO guiding document for this year’s celebration, he said there’s strong evidence that suggests that climate change has brought about numerous health conditions in workers which include but not limited to cancers , cardio vascular diseases, respiratory illness , kidney dysfunction and mental health, among others .
Calling for collaboration, Musa advised that every nation, employer, employee must be aware of the risks posed by climate change and how it affects their nations, organizations and individuals respectively while working together to provide solutions that will mitigate and eliminate them.
Pointing out that countries must make policies that will ensure that workers are protected from adverse conditions due to climate change, the regional manager listed some policies on climate related risks such as ultraviolet radiations , extreme weather events, workplace air pollution, vector – borne diseases and Agro chemical .
Musa urged governments, employer organizations, worker organizations to implement measures to curb climate induced risks , while addressing mental and physical health issues resulting from it and also realize that every employee has right to a safe and healthy workplace.
For her part, Deputy General Manager (HRM) Ms Agboma Okoroafor, added that NSITF joins the ILO in reawakening and celebrating partner organisations, ensuring workplace Health and Safety procedures are emplaced.
Okoroafor noted that NSITF, one of the stakeholders in organizational safety and Health (OSH) environment seeks to provide social security protection and safety nets for all Nigerians against deprivation and income security in accordance with ILO conventions and world best practices.
She added that this year’s theme, with the focus of ensuring health and safety in view of the changing climate resonates with the Fund’s quest for a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right of employees at the work place.
The DGM explained that the theme is in sync with NSITF’s mission which “we have upheld over the years by having a robust work/life balance for our employees, the provision of health care services and a proactive workplace investigations to ensure that employers of labour key in towards emplacing a safe environment for its employees devoid of unwarranted illness injury or disease. .
“An improved employee relations breeds effective morale, safer work environment that is conducive provides a less stressful work environment which in turn will emplace efficiency and an enhanced productivity, “ she said.
Continuing, Musa said: “According to the guidelines released by ILO for the world day for safety and health 2024, countries like Quarter, Singapore, South Africa, Spain have taken decisions that do not allow worker to work outside above certain temperature for example (32 degree Celsuis) in order to curb risk of excessive heat resulting from climate change. In addition, other polices obligates employers to provide training on heat stress before hot sessions for workers to have access to shaded areas.
“ In Nigeria various policies regarding health and safety are covered by the factory act( 2004) , of which risks emanating from climate change are generally addressed with it. However, there is need to make specific laws such as the ones mentioned above to address risk / challenges posed by the change climatic conditions.”
He emphasised that for NSITF, health and safety of Nigeria workers is part of its core mandate, contained in section 1 f of the employee compensation
Act 2010, which clearly mandates NSITF to combine efforts with relevant stakeholders towards the prevention of work place disabilities and enforcement of health and safety standards in all workplace in Nigeria.
“This is of course includes all risk emanating from changes in climatic conditions.
“In carrying out these mandate the Fund (NSITF) has engaged employers within the nation with various activities that ensure that hazards and risks within an organization are greatly minimized or eliminated at best.
“These activities include enlightenment and awareness programs , accident investigations , occupational health and safety inspection and audit , wellness programs, disaster management, etc These activities have over the years helped in reducing incidents among employers across the nation.
Besides ensuing and promoting of health and safety standards in work places , NSITF has a core mandate of providing compensation to employers or their dependent against contingencies such as death , injuries, occupational diseases , disabilities. As of today, the FUND( NSITF) has disbursed billions for the payment of claims emanating from these contingencies.”
