The South West Zonal Director of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment , Mrs. Mienye Badejo, has called on Nigerian workers especially those in the construction industries to always take occupational safety seriously in order to protect their selves from avoidable accidents.
Mrs. Badejo made this known in Lagos during a two-day workshop on high-risk industrial processes with focus on construction, iron and steel and quarrying sectors organized by the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Ministry.
According to Mrs. Badejo who represented the Permanent, Ismaila Abubakar, the nature of activities in the extractive and steel processing industries has a high risk that demands attention.
She reiterated the need for safety and well-being of workers saying that construction, iron and steel and quarrying sectors play very important roles to the country’s economy, especially in infrastructure development.
“There’s no reason why people should not be protected in the workplace and that’s our core mandate. It’s very important that we consider the issues of safety especially in dangerous sectors like construction, quarrying, and extractive industries,’’ she said.
Mrs. Badejo also called for more collaborations and awareness campaigns to educate workers on the need for occupational safety.
“More awareness and collaborations are needed, inclusivity with all the social partners and more importantly education on safety through training, open discussions, recommendations and suggestions by all the critical stakeholders and partners,’’ she advised.
One of the participants and the National Deputy President of Construction Union, Akinwande Ajose harped on the need to compel all the employers to comply with the safety rules of the employees especially in the areas of funding, tackling corruption and unprofessional attitude of some safety officers.
“Professional, safety officers and the government should do their work to save Nigerian workers who are at the receiving end,’’ he stated.
The workshop provided a platform for open dialogue and knowledge exchange on the unique challenges faced by workers in high-risk industrial workplaces, particularly those in the primary extraction industries.
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