NIEEE tasks Nigerians on safety, better working environment

The Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) has challenged Nigerians and Nigeria on safety and improved working environment.

Joining the rest of the world to commemorate the 2021 World Day for Safety and Health at Work, NIEEE said a better working condition would spur workers to perform better.

At a virtual forum organized by NIEEE, the guest speaker, Tony Akinyemi, said the human body is designed to be in a state of wellness, which is always striving to be healthy. He however, said some factors are always the creator of diseases in human bodies.

Akinyemi, who spoke on the topic, “Understanding the Causes of Diseases,” stated that the major causes of diseases in the body can be termed as D.A.T.I.I.S.S.

He explained that Deficiency, Abuse, Toxicity / Toxemia, Injury, Infections, Sedentary Living and Stress (DATIISS) are the major causes of diseases in the human body.

Akinyemi, a nutritionist and natural health advocate, said to prevent diseases, one should avoid deficiencies, eat a balanced diet and that one should not abuse one’s body. He said one should take care of it, detoxify regularly and minimise exposure to toxins, and be safety-conscious to prevent injuries.

He said there is need to minimise exposure to infectious agents and parasites, deworm periodically and to avoid sedentary living, And above all, he advised Nigerians to exercise moderately and regularly and to manage one’s stress appropriately and to go on regular vacations.

In his own contribution at the lecture, the Chairman, Trans-Amadi chapter of NIEEE, Vitalis Onyia, posited that safe working conditions are a basic human right and a fundamental part of decent work.

Onyia, who spoke on the topic, “Electrical Hazard and Safety Awareness”, said the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that over 2.3 million workers in the world die each year from work–related accidents and diseases, and that four per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product are lost due to accidents and poor working conditions.

According to him, electrical hazards accounts for a notable portion of these incidents, adding that electrocution remains the fourth highest cause of industrial fatalities, based on studies from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Onyia stated that the extreme danger of working around electricity is that there is limited room to minimising the effect once contact has been made. He added that the effect is instantaneous; saying all it takes is one slip of the hand, a slight wrong move, or careless disregard for one seemingly small safety measure.

In his welcome speech, the National Chairman of NIEEE, Kings Adeyemi, said since 2003, April 28 of every year is set aside as “World Day for Safety and Health at Work”. This, he said, was the initiative of ILO and UN.and that “Safety First” is the slogan of Electrical Engineers, being the first thing they were thought and patterned their lives in that order.

Adeyemi said that many workers are exposed to many occupational hazards in the course of discharging their duties, and that COVID-19 pandemic further extends the scope of hazards beyond the workplace. He said the NIEEE was pleased to join the world in celebrating the important day just as he welcomed everyone to the lecture