Promoting Safety In The Workplace

From all indications, the
fundamental goal of any business is to make profits but observers insist that the wellbeing of the workforce should not be compromised in efforts to make profits.
For instance, the air conditioning system of a Lagos office exploded some months ago.
Although no one was hurt as the room was then empty but the explosion provoked panic, as several workers fled the building, while others flocked to the scene to look into the cause of the blast.
“No one thought to pull the fire alarm and even though we knew that the conference room was on fire, there was palpable panic everywhere,’’ says Miss Fola Lawal, a secretary at the company.
She recalls that the group in front of the room attempted to douse the fire with an extinguisher but that none of the people around could figure out how to make the gadget work.
Lawal says that the situation was compounded by the fact that the worker, who usually accompanied the inspector to carry out the maintenance of the fire extinguisher, was incidentally on leave.
This scenario aptly reflects the casual manner in which many offices prepare for possible emergencies.
While they provide extinguishers and fire escapes, little time is spent on training the employees on how to react in the event of an emergency.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO), a United Nations (UN) agency dealing with labour issues, particularly international labour standards and decent work for all, says that 2.34 million occupational fatalities occur across the world every year.
The agency stresses that out of this figure, only 321,000 are due to accidents, while the remaining 2.02 million deaths are caused by various types of work-related diseases, adding up to a daily average of more than 5,500 deaths.
ILO says that there are up to 160 million non-fatal work-related diseases per year, while there are about 317 million non-fatal occupational accidents per year.
“This means that every 15 seconds, a worker dies from a work-related accident or disease, while 151 workers are involved in a work-related accident every 15 seconds,’’ says the ILO report.
The report, however, stresses that the bulk of these injuries and deaths occur in developing countries.
“This is because large parts of the population in such countries are engaged in hazardous activities, such as agriculture, construction, fishing and mining.’’
The ILO calls this “an unacceptable decent work deficit’’.
In a nutshell, the inability to prevent occupational accidents can negatively affect workers, their families and society.
The losses can be viewed in terms of lost productivity and a shift in family dynamics when a spouse or child is forced to become the breadwinner.
Experts, therefore, underscore the need to initiate measures that would prevent occupational accidents and hazards in the workplace.
Dr Kareem Abiola, an expert in occupational health expert, insists that there is a compelling need to pay adequate attention to the safety, health and welfare of workers.
He cites faulty machinery, unstable temperatures, smoke, fume, powder or dust inhalation, pesticides, loud noise and chemicals’ handling in the work environment as potential sources of occupational health hazards.
Abiola says that these factors, among others, are quite dangerous, adding that they could cause disease and even death, if not controlled.
“There is need for a health and safety representative at the workplace to safeguard the health of employees, while establishing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment,’’ he says.
Dr Benson Onwuneme, an environmental expert, stresses that without such intervention, workers, who experience work-related health problems, may not realise that their problems are work related.
“Management of organisations can eliminate hazards or keep them under control through safety and health training for the workers,’’ he says.
He suggests that employers should organise yearly health checks for their employees, while designing a training programme to plan, direct and coordinate all activities connected with the promotion and protection of the environment and wellbeing of workers.
However, Dr Oluwole Olaomi, a Consultant Surgeon at the National Hospital, Abuja, advises companies to not wait for emergencies before developing emergency response plans.
He expatiates that an emergency response plan is a written document which specifies the actions that people must take to ensure safety in different emergencies.
Olaomi, nonetheless, stresses that a good contingency plan should address the possibilities of fire, gas leak, bomb threat, chemical spill, explosions and also acts of terrorism.
“The work plan must be simple and detailed enough for all occupants of any building to understand and it should also be very visible to everyone,’’ he adds.
He says that the authorities must also assign an officer to help those who are underage or those who are incapacitated by physical disabilities or language barriers during emergencies.
Olaomi explains that the plan should also make use of the personal skills of individuals in the building by relying on them for first-aid skills.
“This includes directing those with knowledge of the building to help the firemen to locate the water supply mains or to shut down certain equipment to reduce damage,’’ he adds.
Olaomi, however, concedes that emergency response plans differ from place to place because of the types and functions of building, adding that employers should, therefore, desist from adopting plans developed by other companies.
“Each office and home must create a personal plan based on its likely needs.
“Designated exit routes as well as an assembly point for people to congregate after evacuation should also be considered,’’ he says.
Apart from the written plans, Olaomi strongly advocates emergency drills to teach people about how to react in the event of an emergency.
He also stresses the need to keep emergency contact numbers and establish relationship with local emergency response teams in the neighbourhood.
“This prevents the wasting of lives and time during negotiations for emergency transportation and services during emergencies,” he adds
Olaomi reiterates that the development emergency plans for offices and homes are a proactive measure that could save lives in the event of emergencies.
While the development of emergency plan is in the purview of individual employers, analysts insist that the government also has an overriding role to play ensuring the wellbeing of the citizens.
However, the government is not unmindful of its responsibility in this regard.
For instance, the Senate passed a bill on “Occupational Safety and Health’’ and another one on the creation of the “Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria’’.
The two bills, sponsored late last year by Sen. Chris Anyanwu (APGA-Imo) and Sen. Wilson Ake (PDP-Rivers) repectively, seek to provide a safe work environment for employees.
The focus of the bills is partly aimed at ensuring prompt payment of compensation to workers who are injured while on duty.
In her lead debate, Anyanwu said that the bill would revolutionise workers’ safety in the country.
“The goal is to make the workplace safe and healthy so that workers can work hard and be alive.
“Ultimately, this bill, when it becomes law, will increase the average lifespan of the Nigerian worker, increase his or her productivity and make the products of the Nigerian labour market more competitive in the world market,” she said.
Anyanwu said that the proposed law would strictly regulate the workplace by compelling employers to take reasonable safety measures to ensure that workers are not injured or killed in the course of their work.
The law, she added, would also protect female marketers in the banking sector as well as pregnant women and nursing mothers.
On the effectiveness of the law, Anyanwu stressed that stiff penalties had been proposed for anyone who obstructed the smooth operation of the law via any form of mischief.
Observers are of the view that whenever the two bills are signed into law, the workers’ health and safety in the workplace will definitely experience a dramatic turnaround.

Olayemi Okeniyi