NECA urges employers to prioritise workplace safety

The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund have intensified efforts to improve workplace safety standards across the country, warning that negligence, poor awareness, and weak safety culture continue to expose Nigerian workers to preventable injuries and deaths.

The renewed push came on Friday in Abuja at a press conference ahead of the NSITF-NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project 2025 interactive enlightenment fora and award ceremonies.

The PUNCH reports that SWIP is a collaborative occupational health and safety initiative designed to improve workplace safety standards across Nigeria. The project involves auditing corporate workplaces on safety policies, infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and overall compliance with national and international safety best practices.

In 2025, 200 companies and organisations across the country’s six geopolitical zones were audited on their occupational health and safety practices under the initiative. Five ambulances, alongside other safety equipment, would be presented to outstanding performers at an award ceremony.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NECA, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said workplace safety remained a life-and-death issue that was often treated with dangerous nonchalance by employers and employees alike.

The DG noted that occupational safety and health had recently been elevated by the International Labour Organisation to a core convention, binding on all member states.

Oyerinde said, “Two years ago, health and safety actually became one of the core conventions of the International Labour Organisation. For those of us who understand conventions, they are the instruments that the ILO works through, international treaties that everybody is bound by, and the core conventions.

“Health and safety are no longer optional. It is now a human rights issue. Labour is not a commodity; there are human beings behind every job. The disposition of the private sector to the issue of health and safety is changing away from what people used to think. And our commitment, the commitment of both organisations, led to the commencement of the Safe Workplace Intervention Project many years ago.”

He stressed that workplace accidents were often irreversible, even when victims survived. He also highlighted that emerging realities such as remote work, artificial intelligence, and home-based accidents would require a rethinking of what constitutes a workplace.

“Of course, there are issues and worries about safety issues in the workplace. But this concern is everywhere. When you get home, maybe do an analysis of your house or even your room, and look at safety compliance, you will be alarmed at how careless you yourself are,” Oyerinde said.

“And we all take that same mindset to the office. You don’t drop carelessness at the entrance of the workplace. From the employer who sees safety investment as a cost, to the employee who asks, ‘Why must I wear a helmet or PPE?’—it’s a big issue.

“When an accident happens, you don’t recover fully. Even if you do, the scars remain. That is why this is not just a compliance issue; it is a life issue,” he added.

According to him, the biggest gaps in compliance were knowledge, awareness, and basic infrastructure, noting that many hazards were often ignored because they appeared harmless.

“I think the biggest gap that exists in compliance is knowledge and awareness. So there are some things you think are not hazardous. Even the chair you sit on matters. If you sit on a bad chair for eight or nine hours daily for over 35 years, the consequences will show after retirement. Awareness is key,” he noted.