Labour ministry tasks employers over occupational safety

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh has cautioned employers of labour that the Federal Government will no longer tolerate the compromise of the protection of safety  and health of workers under the guise of scarce resources. Dr. Illoh, who was represented by the Director Occupational Safety and Health in […]

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh has cautioned employers of labour that the Federal Government will no longer tolerate the compromise of the protection of safety  and health of workers under the guise of scarce resources.
Dr. Illoh, who was represented by the Director Occupational Safety and Health in the Ministry, Mrs Nofisat Arogundade gave this warning recently in Abuja, while addressing the National Workshop on Occupational Safety and Health, organised by the House of Representatives in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and Go-Getters Consulting Ltd.
According to him, “The government would not allow employers of labour to compromise the protection of the industrial workers under the pretext of scarce resources and multiple competing factors. Safe and healthy working conditions are increasingly understood as strategic assets for enterprises”.  
Speaking further, the Permanent Secretary emphasized that his ministry in line with its mandate on Occupational Safety and Health at work has made some restructuring to direct special focus on prevention culture in occupational safety and health administration instruments.
He added that in view of the progress recorded so far much remain to be done to ensure that prevention becomes a reality in our world of works, as recent spate of industrial accidents and diseases at work do not only have devastating effects on workers and their families but on the enterprise and national economy.
He added that thousands of Nigerian workers most especially in the private sector of the economy have died, and many have become permanently and physically incapacitated, as a result of poor safety measures in the work place.