The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), says it is entrenching workplace safety behaviour among employees and employers of labour across the country for enhanced productivity.
Dr Kelly Nwagha, NSITF’s General Manager, Health Safety and Environment (HSE), said this at the Annual Occupational Safety and Health Enlightenment Programme for employers and stakeholders in Kaduna.
Nwagha said that the goal was to prevent workplace accidents and promote occupational safety and health.
He explained that NSITF renders preventive and rehabilitation, and compensation services to all workplaces for the benefit of the employer and the employee.
“We are interacting with employers of labour and other stakeholders on issues relating to the life and safety of employees in workplaces.
“NSITF is sensitising employers on how employees should work and live safely in workplaces, how best to work and remain safe at all times and how employers should value their employees,” he said.
He reiterated NSITF’s commitment to promoting a preventive safety and health culture in all workplaces in the country.
According to him, this will enable employees and employers fulfill their responsibility of preventing deaths, injuries, and diseases in the workplace.
He said that the Federal Government established the NSITF to cater for employee’s welfare in the event of work-related accidents and injuries.
“The initiative is to protect and cater for employees in the event of work-related accidents and injuries.
“This, the fund is doing by making sure that all employers are duly registered with the fund and are up to date with their contribution and to provide safe working environment always.
“The NSITF has a sensitisation team of well trained, informed and seasoned enforcement officers that frequently meet with employers to educate them on the numerous benefits of complying with the Employee Compensation Scheme,” he said.
Also speaking, Mrs Susan Osuhor, the Senior Manager, HSE, described behaviour-based safety as a “safety management system that specified exactly which behaviours were required from each employee”.
Osuhor identified conditions that encourage bad workplace behaviours as poor supervision and management, absence of health safety and environment, insufficient training, and poor condition of service among others.
She noted that acceptable behaviour be reinforced to establish a safe workplace environment.
