Govt. urged to update, implement laws on workers’ safety

In order to protect the lives of workers’ in the country, there is a growing demand for governments at all levels to streamline and rigorously enforce laws, which pertain to workers’ health and safety.

This issue formed a major discussion at the 2023 scientific conference and annual general meeting organised in Lagos by the Society of Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians Society of Nigeria,(SOEPHON).

Musa Shaibu, national president of SOEPHON, who spoke during the conference, under the theme, “Strategic collaboration: A key driver to good occupational health practice’’, stressed the need for regulators of such laws to be properly trained and empowered to ensure effectiveness.

Shaibu also called on the National Assembly to ratify laws that will support and facilitate delivery of effective Occupational Health and Safety adding , “every human endeavour is guided by some regulation or code of practice, the case of Occupational Health and safety in Nigeria cannot be different.

“We therefore call on the 10th National Assembly and indeed all stakeholders to prioritise and expedite action on the Occupational Health and Safety bill which has been in the process for enactment in to Occupational Health (OH) law. This bill seeks to update, but obsolete Occupational Health laws through an act of parliament for the benefits of Nigerian workers.’’

On his part, Uche Josiah Enumah, chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), explained that this year’s conference aimed to focus on trending topics and crucial past pandemic challenges faced by modern occupational health practitioners both locally and globally.

“Given the peculiarity of our region and all the socio – political struggles of our emerging economy, we realised that deploying our various expertise and capabilities in silos will not give us the traction we need.This especially true when we consider that we are unlikely to grow and develop occupational health practice from our various islands under the huge golf of disconnect between the academia”.

In his presentation titled, “facilitation of occupational health practice through emerging technologies- a synopsis”, Anyanate Ephraim, a Nigerian UK-based Occupational Physician Health Management consultant, said that OH practice is a multidimensional approach which according to him aimed at ensuring the well-being of employees in the work place.

Explaining further, he said, “The integration of emerging technologies in Occupational Health has shown promising to enhance efficiency , accuracy and overall effectiveness.’’

He recalled that the convergence of technologies such as wearable devices, artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), telemedicine, and data analytics have in the recent years revolutionised OH practice .

In addition he said, “Wearable sensors and smart devices enable real time monitoring of workers physiological parameters, providing valuable insights in to their health and exposure to occupational hazards. The data–driven approach empowers OH professionals to make informed decision regarding workers safety and well-being.’’

While stating that Artificial Intelligence plays a vital role in OH practice he said: ‘’ machines learning procedures can detect early signs of occupational illnesses , thereby enabling proactive intervention and preventive measures’’.

To him, telemedicine, and tele health platforms have bridged geographical barriers, allowing OH practitioners to provide care to workers, especially in remote or underserved areas.

This, he further explained significantly improves access to OH services and reduces the time cost associated with on-site evaluations.

Maintaining that data analytics tools enable OH practitioners to analyses workplace data comprehensively, the Nigerian –UK based consultant added that OH professionals can design targeted interventions to mitigate risks and improve overall workspace safety.

The incorporation of emerging technologies in OH practice has the potential to revolutionalise the field by enhancing data-driven making decision making , enabling remote consultations and improving workers safety and well-being .

The presenter called for further research and collaboration to harness the full potential of emerging technologies in the realm of Occupational Health.

Presenting another paper titled, “A multidisciplinary team approach to reducing the risk of non- accidental deaths in an oil and gas company in Southern Nigeria’’, Nital NJ Alamina , Adebisi DJ, explained that the primary function of every Occupational Health team is to promote and maintain the physical , mental and social well-being of personnel at work through various approaches including but not limited to the reduction of risks and hazards to as low as reasonably practicable.