The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has called on organisations to ensure they maintain health and safety in their workplaces, especially with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
It said that workers’ safety and health should remain a top priority for every organisation. Branch Manager, NSITF, Lekki, Allen Asawo, made the call yesterday, at this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, where the branch held a walk to sensitise organisations on the importance of health and safety, urging them to create a healthy work culture and invest in safety technologies to protect their workers.
Asawo, who spoke on this year’s theme, “Revolutionising Health and Safety: The Role of AI and Digitisation at Work,” highlighted some strategies that the government, employers and workers could adopt to ensure a safer and healthier work environment in the digital age.
He said that the rise of digital platform work, remote work, hybrid work, and telework means that workers are no longer confined to traditional office spaces.
These shifts, he said, offer greater flexibility but also introduce new challenges for ensuring mental health and work-life balance. The NSITF boss, therefore, urged the employers to comprehensively train their workers on new technologies, adapt health and safety regulations, provide mental health support, and ensure cybersecurity and data privacy.
He said continuous education and safety training are essential to ensure that workers adapt without compromising their health.
Besides, he urged the government to enact and enforce regulations, as well as ensure that safety standards keep up with technological advancements, while employees must take responsibility for their safety by following training, reporting potential hazards, and adopting healthy work habits.
Also, the Branch’s Assistant Manager, Ekwejunor Oritsematosan, said the walk was to let people know the importance of safety in the workplace, adding that the aim was to minimise risk, avoid any form of accident and ensure that the workplace is safe.
