Tuesday, 19th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

NSITF seeks investment in OSH practice for prevention of workplace disabilities

By Gloria Nwafor
29 April 2021   |   4:13 am
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has called on stakeholders to invest in resilient Occupational, Safety and Health (OSH) practice to promote, protect and strengthen effective policies and regulatory framework for the prevention of workplace disabilities. The NSITF said effective national OSH policies and regulatory framework would give better response to crisis and emergencies…

Members of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ikeja branch during a walk to create awareness for stakeholders and the general public on the importance of safety and health at work, in commemoration of World Safety and Health Day yesterday. PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has called on stakeholders to invest in resilient Occupational, Safety and Health (OSH) practice to promote, protect and strengthen effective policies and regulatory framework for the prevention of workplace disabilities.

The NSITF said effective national OSH policies and regulatory framework would give better response to crisis and emergencies in the future.

Deputy General Manager, Ikeja Branch, NSITF, Toyin Emeordi, said this yesterday when the Fund joined the rest of the world to celebrate the Safety and Health Day; marked every April 28, to create awareness for stakeholders and the general public on the importance safety and health at work.

Speaking on this year’s global theme: ‘Anticipate, Prepare and Respond to Crisis’, Emeordi said the Fund embarked on road walk for the purpose of advocacy and awareness to sensitise the public to bring out the various challenges faced by the federal government, employers, employees and the society at large, on efforts made to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said it was also to create awareness focused on the outbreak of infectious diseases at work and how to combat it as well as inform stakeholders on the importance of creating and practising safety at the workplace.

This, Emeordi said, had been so designated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to prevent occupational hazard and curtail the spread of diseases in the workplace.

According to her, for employees to work at their optimum, they need to be healthy and safe at all times.

Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on nearly all walks of life, threatening the normal way of work and doing business including education, social interactions and engagements, as a result, she said, changes had to be made especially in hygiene and mobility.

She said the workplace should be cleaned regularly, constant handwashing should also be practiced to prevent the spread of diseases, adding that safety and hygiene policies/practices should be set up and complied with in the workplace.

She said: “the NSITF is an institution that combines efforts and resources of relevant stakeholders for the prevention of workplace disabilities, including the enforcement of occupational safety and health standard.

“We assist stakeholders in appreciating the importance of safety by creating awareness about the importance of workplace safety and health, equip workplaces with emergency exits, PPEs, fire hoses and extinguishers in case of fires.”

0 Comments