We Remain Committed To Your Health & Safety – Keyamo Tells Nigerian Workers

The Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed its relentless commitment to ensuring safe, healthy, and decent work for Nigerians while promising to addressing some of the socio-economic problems of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN) made this disclosure in his address to commemorate the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28th April 2020.

In his speech, Keyamo said that the occasion of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work calls for the adoption of safe practices in workplaces.

According to Keyamo, employers statutorily have a duty to ensure safe and healthy working conditions in times of crises and the government has demostrated this through its recent rollout of various incentives for health workers.

“Government has embarked on measures to promote a culture of prevention through various workplace interventions that include the vigorous enforcement of extant labour laws by way of factory inspections being carried out nationwide. In addition, the review of all extant labour laws in Nigeria (including While the Factories’ Act), has been kick-started, and remains an ongoing process that will soon be finalized.”, Keyamo said.

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He also emphasized the need for a collective effort in order to combat the outbreak, while ensuring safety of individuals and the sustainability of businesses and jobs.

“Protecting workers in the workplace will involve strengthening of Occupational Safety and Health measures and adapting work arrangements.

“…employer must ensure good hygiene and cleanliness of the workplace, implement physical distancing measures, ensure training of workers on infection prevention and control measures, and provide the required personal protective equipment, in accordance with the guidelines that have been stipulated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). In addition, necessary administrative and engineering controls must also be instituted as required, to reduce risk of transmission of infection in the workplace.”, the Minister said.

While applauding the unrelenting efforts of the frontline health workers in the fight against this pandemic, he noted that efforts must continue to be geared towards ensuring that work is carried out under a risk-controlled scenario.