World Day for Safety and Health at Work marked in Africa

ADDIS ABABA (ILO News) –In Africa, activities and events were held to mark the 2015 World Day for Safety and Health at Work and promote the right to a safe and healthy working environment where the highest priority is given to the principle of prevention.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Deputy Prime minister for Employment, Labour and Social Welfare organized an official ceremony at the Venus Hotel in Kinshasa on the national theme "Building a culture of prevention in the application of standards for security and health at work”. This marked the launch of several awareness activities on safety and health at work around the country which was broadcast on Radio Okapi, the local UN Radio.

In Egypt, the ILO, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower and Migration (MOMM), led an awareness-raising event on the importance of having a preventive Occupation Safety and Health (OSH) system at work, with social partners discussing OSH prevention related issues.

First-aid training was also organized in cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent and MOMM to familiarize national inspectors, employers’ and workers’ representatives on how to deal swiftly and professionally with injuries at workplace to avoid any complications.

In Nigeria, the ILO, the tripartite constituents and other major stakeholders organized a creative and interactive workshop around “building a culture of prevention on Occupational Safety and health” in the country.

Participants, including senior representatives of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity (FMLP), the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria discussed issues related to enhancing a sustainable safety culture at the workplace, building and maintaining a preventive occupational safety and health culture as a tool for productivity in Nigeria and building a safety culture in the construction industry.

In Algeria, the ILO took an active part to a meeting set up by the Directorate General of the National Security in Algiers under the theme: Health protection and Safety in the environment of Labour.

The ILO Office partnered also with the Ministry of Employment and social partners to a dialogue on "Building a culture of prevention of occupational safety and health". A thematic exhibition was organized on the sidelines of the official ceremony. Special prizes were awarded to managers and experts who contributed to the popularization and dissemination of the culture of prevention of occupational risks and improving working conditions and reducing the number accidents and occupational diseases.

A long-standing ILO priority, the issue of occupational safety and health was recognized as a fundamental human right in the 2008 Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work.