The federal government has initiated efforts to develop a comprehensive National Workplace Intervention Action Guide aimed at mitigating the impact of emerging Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues in the country.
Speaking to stakeholders at a retreat in Abuja, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Salihu Usman, highlighted the evolving nature of OSH challenges due to transformative changes in the workplace and called for swift intervention necessary to ensure the safety, health, and overall well-being of workers to foster improved working conditions.
Represented by the director of human resources management, Catherine Lami Bulus, Usman said that the evolving issues can escalate into major workplace crises such as technological advancements, Artificial Intelligence (AI), demographic shifts, economic instability, rising insecurity, climate change and globalisation which have necessitated a coordinated response from multiple stakeholders.
He explained that the key objectives of the retreat were to identify, analyse and evaluate workplace interventions to address emerging OSH concerns, as well as formulate a structured workplace intervention guide to tackle these challenges effectively.
“The retreat aims to develop a strategic guide for addressing large-scale occupational safety and health trends requiring a coordinated response.
It will also delineate the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders within the national occupational safety and health management system, while promoting inter-ministerial and inter-agency collaboration,” he said.
Usman also reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s OSH management system through regular stakeholder consultations and enhanced oversight of emergency preparedness and response strategies for emerging workplace hazards.
Earlier, the director of the OSH Department, Lauretta Adogu, emphasised that the retreat was designed to explore mitigation strategies and analyse the proposed workplace intervention guide for emerging OSH issues.
She noted that the retreat provides a platform for open dialogue and knowledge exchange on the National Workplace Intervention Guide, which, when implemented, will address the unique challenges posed by the dynamic nature of modern work environments.
“We aim to outline and expand the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in preventing occupational safety and health issues. This guide will serve as a practical tool for effectively managing emerging OSH concerns in Nigeria,” Adogu said.
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