The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in collaboration with the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), on Wednesday in Abuja, inaugurated a joint committee on safety in the workplace.

Inaugurating the committee, the Chairman Board of Directors of NSITF, Dr Mrs Ngozi Olejeme said the committee would effectively implement the safe work intervention project of the fund.

She said the committee would ensure compliance with the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) and acceptance of the scheme by employers of labour.

Olejeme said that NSITF and NECA would work together on the project to conduct regular audit of Occupational Health and Safety Infrastructure to ascertain the level of compliance with existing laws.

She explained that the two organisations, through the committee, would no longer take lightly issues bothering on non-compliance with the ECA.

“The joint committee is to identify and intervene appropriately in improving the health and safety infrastructure of companies/employers, which facilities fall below acceptable standards.

“The committee is to execute capacity building programmes on an on-going basis for contributors to the scheme.

“It will also conduct annual employer/NSITF interactive forum in the six geo-political zones of the federation to facilitate compliance and prompt payment of contributions.”

She disclosed that an annual employers’ forum would henceforth be organised and employers who complied with the scheme would be recognised and rewarded.

Olejeme said that NACA would function as the project’s manager and would spearhead the implementation of the scheme.

She blamed the inability of the project to take off in the first quarter of 2012 as scheduled on budgetary constraints and urged the committee to ensure that they made up for the time lost.

In his remark, the Director-General of NECA, Mr Olusegun Oshinowo, said that the project was inspired by the realisation that human capacity was the most valuable asset in any business.

He stressed that the focus of NECA and NSITF was now more on the safety of workers and prevention of accidents, rather than on the payment of compensations in the event of accidents.

He said it was based on the understanding that no amount of money could replace a lost limb or life lost.

“To any business, the human capital is the most valuable asset and as your most valuable asset, common sense and enlightened self-interest dictates that you pay special attention to that very valuable asset.

“That is what has informed NECA’s interest in this project.

“Under this new dispensation of employees compensation act, our focus should be on safety: the objective of this programme is for us to make sure that we reduce to the barest minimum the incidence of injuries in the workplace.”

Oshinowo said that there shall be no hiding place for employers who failed to comply with the ECA.

“This project would make sure that it conducts audits on a regular basis of factory facilities that are on ground.

“There will be no hiding place for any employer that that has not prepared to either comply with the employees’ compensation Act or comply with the factory act.”

The Managing Director of NSITF, Alhaji Umar Abubakar, on his part, pledged the commitment of members of the committee to the success of the scheme.

Also speaking, Mr Tunji Olaopa, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of labour, emphasised the importance of human capital development to the development of any nation.

He pledged the commitment of the ministry to ensuring the successful completion of the project.