WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK 2017

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an annual event marked globally by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on the 28^th day of April to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to attract international attention to the magnitude of the problem and how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries.

A recent statistics of work-related deaths by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicates that one worker dies every 15 seconds worldwide, 6,300 people die every day as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases and this amounts to more than 2.3 million deaths per year. The report further observed that about 317 million accidents occur on the job annually; many of these resulting to permanent disabilities. This obviously shows that annually, more people seem to die at work than at wars.

Although the statistics is undoubtedly worrisome but the most unfortunate dimension to the problem is that, with the prevailing economic recession and rising poverty level, the dangers might be aggravated.

That is why, the ILO’s theme for the 2017 World Day for Safety and Health at Work is “OPTIMIZE THE COLLECTION AND USE OF OSH DATA” aimed to draw attention to the critical need for countries to improve their capacity to collect and utilize reliable occupational safety and health (OSH) data.

According to the ILO, a national occupational safety and health culture is one in which the right to a safe and healthy working environment is respected at all levels, where governments, employers and workers actively participate in securing a safe and healthy working environment through a system of defined rights, responsibilities and duties, and where the highest priority is accorded to the principle of prevention.

Looking at the ILO’s standard viz a viz what obtains in Nigeria, analysts say the work environment in Nigeria is increasingly getting precarious for millions of workers in different sectors of the economy as they are daily exposed to worsening health and safety situations with increased cases of deaths and injuries at work. With unemployment rate of about 25percent, underemployment rate of 19.7percent and about 67.1 per cent of the population living below the poverty level, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the average Nigerian employee while seeking a job is more concerned about securing a means of livelihood than the health and safety aspect of the job.

Majority of the employees in Nigeria are actually enduring their job instead of enjoying it. The kind of stress that most people go through every day is unimaginable, just to keep their job. We have people that live as far as Sagamu in Ogun state and every day they go to work at Ikeja or Lagos Island. They are always under constant stress, both while going, in the office and while returning back home.

Recently I met a man who had retired about 3years ago after putting in 30 years on his job. The man told me that within this 30years, he normally wakes up latest four o’clock and normally goes to bed around 12midnight. For the past 30years, he barely slept for 4hours, every day and the problem now is that, his body seems to have adapted to it because, even now that he is already retired he still wakes up and sleeps almost the same time.

This is just one angle to the problem. So many today are not maintaining a healthy diet simply because of their job. Most times they take their breakfast in the office and may be compelled to eat what is available and not really what they want.

If I may ask, what is the essence of spending your entire life suffering under an unfavorable and hazardous job condition and thereafter waste all the little money you had saved from the job trying to get back your health?

As we join other nations to mark the world day for safety and health at work, I need to remind you that it is your duty to decide on the best safety and healthy working condition that is ideal for you. You are not a slave to your employer and that is why you should not allow anybody to compel you to accept a job that is not safe or suitable for your health.

What you need is information because, there are several alternative opportunities that you could be doing on a part-time basis and be earning almost the same income or higher than you are earning from your present job. At least there is nothing like waking up each day with peace of mind; without worries of being queried for coming late to work. You can afford to have a good time with your creator through morning devotion, take your time to prepare a good diet for breakfast, and go out with peace of mind.

Perhaps your present job is adversely affecting your health but you cannot afford to drop it for now because you do not have an alternative source of income. Or maybe you are tired of working on a paid employment and wish to have your own personal business; you do not need to keep worrying again because today in Nigeria, there are several simple and flexible opportunities through which you can transit seamlessly from a paid employee to an employer.

Listen, there is no problem that anybody has today that another fellow does not have the solution to. That is why one of my favourite quote in the bible says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

By God’s grace we have helped hundreds of people take back their lives and be in control of their health and finances through some of these opportunities. If I were you, there is no need to continue procrastinating because most of the ergonomic problems associated with jobs most times do not start manifesting while you are still on the job but in your later years.

If you are interested in receiving detailed information about the simple processes of moving from a paid employer to a self employed or business owner, send your name, telephone number and email address to me by sms/whatsapp to: 2348033291724.