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By Chris Onuoha

The National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria (NISCN) on Saturday urged the incoming 9th national assembly to ensure the passage of the National Occupational Safety and Health Bill before the house to safe life and properties in the country.

the council and its subsidiaries agencies in a Press Conference in Lagos to make public its 2019 Safety Award event said that, the bill also known as Factory Act Bill would curtail accidents

Mr Cletus Akhigbe, President, National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria ( NISCN) in his remark at the event said that, of workers in workplace should be of importance to us.

The council president who was represented by Mr Ade Oyewole, the NISCN Vice President also called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to make the passage of the bill a priority.

“This is one bill that will grantee safety of all and sundry in the country if we must actualise a safe and healthy workplaces the OSH bill has to be passed to give legal backing to enforcement and regulation.

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“This bill will put the nation on a safety path it is the first step in the actualization of good health work environment it will help the country reduce accident induces practices that has resulted in the loss of life and properties,” he said.

The president who attributed most of the petroleum products tanker road mishap and building collapse to professional neglect and dearth of regulatory and enforcement policy said the passage of the bill would stop the hazards.

“It is one bill the country dearly needs to assure safe health workplace we are appealing to the 9th assembly to expedite action on the bill in order to bolster the economy and drive foreign investment,” he added.

Dr. Lateef Alebiosu, Managing Director, 9jaSAFE Co-organisers of the 2019 Safety Excellence Award said that,Occupational fatalities and injuries: According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), one worker dies every 15 seconds worldwide, 6,000 die daily and more than two million die annually from work-related accidents and diseases.

The organisation also says that 153 workers are involved in work-related accidents daily.

He said that from the ILO statistics, more people die at work than at wars and even natural disasters.

“Beyond job-related deaths each year, there are some 268 million non-fatal workplace accidents as well as 160 million new cases of work-related illnesses.

“The ILO estimates that occupational accidents and diseases result in annual four percent loss in global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or about $2.8 trillion in direct and indirect cost of injuries and diseases,” he said.

He added that in Nigeria, there are several cases of body injuries, some reported and several others happening in non-unionised workplaces, with little support and compensation for affected workers.