NBCC Tasks Organisations on Health, Safety of Employees

Dike Onwuamaeze

The President of Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), Mr. Abimbola Olashore, has urged business organisations to take the health and safety of their workers very important.

Olashore made this call last weekend during the “NBCC Health Walk” with the theme “Health Safety Environment,” which took place at the Eko Atlantic, Lagos State.

He said that gone are the days when health and safety were thought to belong to companies in the oil and gas sector.
“Every company must take health and safety very important since a healthy workforce is a productive workforce.
“Apart from training them for the works they do, the organisation should train them on how to care for their health and safety.

“Once in a year we have this event that allows for business networking.
“We cannot talk business without a healthy environment so everyone must take health and safety as very important,” he said.

The president of the NBCC also used the event to mobilise members and the general public to attend the chamber’s oncoming annual trade mission to London, which he tagged a “trade mission with a difference” for coinciding with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom.

Olashore said that the state visit, which is the fourth to be taken by a Nigerian president meant that the United Kingdom is taken Nigeria a lot more seriously.

“It makes our work easier because it shows that The UK is looking at Nigeria.

Speaking during the Health Walk, the National President of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, Mr. Timothy Chimezie Iwuagwu, said that the workforce can only be productive it it is healthy and engaged to work in a safety environment.

Iwuagwu said that the institute’s refrain is “do not do it if it is not safe enough.”

He explained that the aim of work is to earn a living and not to earn injuries, illness or death.
“Health and safety at work goes beyond the workplace environment.

“It goes with you on the road until you get home and be able to come back to work the next day,” he said adding that “our health and safety are tied to our environment.’

Iwuagwu also admonished business organisations to understand that it is wrong to engage any person who is not a safety professional in a safety critical work.

“Somebody who is not trained to handle arms cannot be given arms and cannot be in charge of an amount.
“Somebody who is not trained and certified in safety management is not supposed to handle safety critical responsibilities,” he said.

The health walk was sponsored by Aradel Holdings, Richardson Oil and Gas, Medplus and supported by Mantra Petroleum Solutions Limited.