As part of activities marking this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Nwabueze Ngige is scheduled to declare open a symposium to mark the annual international campaign to promote safety, health and decent work in accordance to the International labour Organization (ILO) standard.The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an annual international campaign against millions of workers losing their lives through accident and diseases linked to their work, hence the celebration on 28th of April annually as it has been observed by the International Labour Organisation ILO since 2003.
The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment Sen. Dr. Chris Ngige will on Thursday 28th, April 2016 host stakeholders and social partners at the symposium and launch a commemorative safety poster as well as a reviewed Occupational Safety and Health Inspection Checklist to strengthen the National Occupational Safety and Health Inspection system.
According to the ILO convention C187, National Occupational Safety and Health culture is one in which the right to a safe and healthy working environment is respected at all levels, where governments, employers and workers actively participate in securing a safe and healthy working environment through a system of defined rights, responsibilities and duties, and where the highest priority is accorded to the principle of prevention.
The theme of this year’s celebration; ‘Workplace Stress: A collective Challenge is no doubt apt against the backdrop of workplace stress becoming a common and costly problem. This is a reflection of pressure faced by workers in relation to the conditions and demands of their work. Beyond psychosocial risk factors, the workplace is becoming more stressful and work-related stress is generally acknowledged as a global issue, affecting all countries, the professions and workers; both in developed and developing countries. In this context, the workplace is an important source of psychosocial and other work related stress risk factors and the ideal sector to address them in order to protect the health well-being of people.
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Inspection Checklist is for purpose of uniformity and effective (OSH) Inspection System as well as providing a useful tool for self evaluation at enterprise level. The need for promotion of OSH compliance through the cooperation of all cannot be over emphasized. However, the regulatory function, particularly the enforcement of the extant Factories Act and the subsidiary Legislation remains that of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The checklist is expected to assist interested stakeholders, without unnecessarily impersonating the Ministry’s officials, who are statutorily appointed in line with the provisions of section 64 of the Factories Act.
The National Policy on Occupational Safety and Health states the stakeholders and their duties as well as establish the Ministry as the Statutory Authority for the purpose of execution of the Factories Act, it is pertinent to reiterate the fact that The government has not delegated its regulatory functions to any non governmental Institutions, Associations or individuals, no matter the skills or professional competence.
Stakeholders are therefore advised to ensure the identity of Factory Inspectors and all statutory documents are sourced through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to avoid economic sabotage.
The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment Senator, Chris Nwabueze Ngige, request the presence of all the stakeholders at all levels of the economy, the media and the entire public, particularly the working population to witness the 2016 important Symposium as scheduled for Thursday 28th of April 2016 At the National Human Rights Commission Auditorium, Abuja and in all states of the Federation.
Samuel Olowookere
Deputy Director (Press)
