By Funmi Komolafe

As Nigeria joins other members of the International Labour Organisation, ILO, to mark this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the organisation has advised government, employers and workers to join hands in making the work place safer.

In a statement from its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, ILO urged the three social partners to “focus on what each of us can do to make a positive difference in workplaces, small and large.

“Let us commit to decent work strategies that respect human dignity and the dignity of work by protecting the right of all workers to a safe and healthy working environment.”

To succeed, ILO advised the social partners to cooperate as “success requires commitment and consultation.”

In 2002, over 50 Nige-rian workers in a textile firm in Ikorodu, Lagos, were burnt to death.

The Ministry of Labour and Productivity blamed the death of the workers on inadequate safety measures in the workplace.

To mark this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, ILO is focused on safety issues in chemical plants.

ILO advised social partners to refer “to laws and regulations to risk assessment and the control and elimination of risks as well as inspection and information sharing” and other avenues” for protecting workers and supporting sustainable enterprise development.”

ILO Director-General, Mr. Guy Ryder, said: “Chemicals are integral components of many processes and are key ingredients of products that have come to be part and parcel of daily life.

“Yet chemicals may also entail significant risks for workers, workplaces, communities and the environment.”