By Chinedu Echianu
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, is intensifying efforts to reduce workplace accidents by strengthening employers’ understanding and implementation of occupational safety standards.
The Fund is currently engaging employers and other stakeholders in Bauchi, Jos and Kaduna under its Programme on Safety Regulations, Policies and Standards.
The three-day programme, which began on Tuesday, August 18, will end today, Thursday, August 20.
NSITF Head of Corporate Affairs, Alexandra Mede, said the initiative aims to move occupational safety and health from a compliance obligation to a core part of business management.
Mede said the programme would strengthen employers’ capacity to develop and implement effective workplace safety policies and improve risk prevention, incident investigation and safety leadership.
She said the engagements would also promote collaboration among stakeholders and expose employers to emerging technologies and innovations in workplace safety.
The NSITF invited 85 employers to each of the three locations, but attendance exceeded expectations.
More than 100 employers participated in each session during the first phase of the campaign in Owerri, Port Harcourt and Lagos between August 11 and 14.
The Fund said the rise in workplace incidents and compensation claims in some sectors underscores the need for stronger safety leadership and risk management.
NSITF said it would extend the stakeholder engagement to other parts of the country to promote wider adoption of occupational safety standards and safer workplaces nationwide.
