NISCN tasked on occupational safety, health awareness

The Federal Government has charged the new executives of the National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria (NISCN) to identify and coordinate the various advocacy platforms for effective management of occupational safety and health (OSH) awareness creation in both public and private sectors.

The Director of OSH department of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Lauretta Adogu, gave the charge in an opening speech at the Annual General Meeting/Executive Committee Election of NISCN held in Abuja.

Adogu stated that the effective management of OSH would be achieved through the effective implementation of the Revised National Policy on OSH in line with ILO Convention 155 on OSH and Convention 187 (2006) on the Promotional Framework for OSH as well as advocacy activities of the national tripartite body (NISCN), comprising government, employers’ associations and workers’ unions.

She noted that the Ministry of Labour and Employment, through its OSH department, has the mandate of enforcing OSH laws at all workplaces, as well as promoting and creating awareness of preventative measures for work-related accidents, diseases, disasters and fatalities nationwide.

According to Adogu, the Department of OSH also supervises and coordinates the activities of NISCN – a tripartite body made up of government, employers and workers for advocacy and advisory services on OSH to the public and private sectors of the economy.

The Council, she explained, is mandated to create awareness of the magnitude of work-related issues and how promoting a preventative occupational safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related accidents, injuries, diseases and deaths.

Adogu said that the election of a new national executive committee would reposition the Council to effectively achieve its mandate of safeguarding and promoting the safety, health and well-being of persons at work, as well as stimulating productivity in the business of the government through advocacy, sensitisation and awareness creation programmes.

She said: “It is, therefore, imperative that the National Executive Committee that will be elected will visibly identify and coordinate the various advocacy platforms for effective management of OSH awareness creation at both public and private sectors by critical stakeholders – government, employers’ associations and workers’ unions.”

Meanwhile, the election produced a 12-man executive committee of NISCN headed by John Obajinmi, an engineer nominated by the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) and National Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) branches as the President and Dr Kelvin Obinna Esimogu from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment as the National Secretary.

In his inaugural speech, Obajinmi gave the assurance that he would build on the contributions of past leaders of the Council continue to work with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment as their host and reinforce the relationship with the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to introduce new ideas/or policies on health and safety.

Other elected executive members are Badejo Bolajoko Rasheed nominated by Ogun State Chapter of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), who emerged as the National Vice-President – 1 and Ibrahim Usman nominated by Amarawa Agro Processors Limited Kano, as National Vice-President 2.