FG moves to regulate operations in the construction sector

The  Minister of State Labour and Employment, Prof. Stephen Ocheni has said that the ministry is working on a draft Construction Regulations to guide easy compliance and provide access to best practice for high Occupational Safety and Health performance Nigeria. The minister who was represented by the Deputy Director Occupational Safety and Health in the […]

The  Minister of State Labour and Employment, Prof. Stephen Ocheni has said that the ministry is working on a draft Construction Regulations to guide easy compliance and provide access to best practice for high Occupational Safety and Health performance Nigeria.

The minister who was represented by the Deputy Director Occupational Safety and Health in the ministry, Mr. Babatunde Ogunmuko stated this recently in his keynote address at the dialogue on Occupational Safety and Health in the Construction Sector, organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).

He said there is urgent need  for specific regulations to guide easy compliance and provide access to best practice for high Occupational Safety and Health performance in view of failures and accidents recorded in the construction sector in the recent past.

Speaking further Ocheni  noted  that safety in the construction industry requires the support and commitments of all stakeholders.

“The construction industry is acclaimed to be one of the most hazardous sectors of any economy, with the numerous labour intensive activities carried out under highly varied environmental conditions. The risk is high and so also fatality rate. Indeed, staying safe in construction requires the commitments of all stakeholders,” he said.    

In his address, the Country Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Mr Denims Zulu stated that the construction sector is one of the sectors that accounted for significant proportion of employment in the country, hence, ILO places premium emphasis on the protection of workers in this sector.

Earlier in their separate goodwill messages the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) represented by Comrade Maureen Onyia Ekwazi and the Director General of the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) represented by Mrs Nike Ajala acknowledged that the construction industry is vital to national development hence efforts should be directed at preventing accident in the sector.