The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund have intensified efforts to improve workplace safety standards across the country, warning that negligence, poor awareness, and weak safety culture continue to expose Nigerian workers to preventable injuries and deaths.
The renewed push came on Friday in Abuja at a press conference ahead of the NSITF-NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project 2025 interactive enlightenment fora and award ceremonies.
The PUNCH reports that SWIP is a collaborative occupational health and safety initiative designed to improve workplace safety standards across Nigeria. The project involves auditing corporate workplaces on safety policies, infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and overall compliance with national and international safety best practices.
In 2025, 200 companies and organisations across the country’s six geopolitical zones were audited on their occupational health and safety practices under the initiative. Five ambulances, alongside other safety equipment, would be presented to outstanding performers at an award ceremony.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NECA, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said workplace safety remained a life-and-death issue that was often treated with dangerous nonchalance by employers and employees alike.
The DG noted that occupational safety and health had recently been elevated by the International Labour Organisation to a core convention, binding on all member states.
Oyerinde said, “Two years ago, health and safety actually became one of the core conventions of the International Labour Organisation. For those of us who understand conventions, they are the instruments that the ILO works through, international treaties that everybody is bound by, and the core conventions.
“Health and safety are no longer optional. It is now a human rights issue. Labour is not a commodity; there are human beings behind every job. The disposition of the private sector to the issue of health and safety is changing away from what people used to think. And our commitment, the commitment of both organisations, led to the commencement of the Safe Workplace Intervention Project many years ago.”
He stressed that workplace accidents were often irreversible, even when victims survived. He also highlighted that emerging realities such as remote work, artificial intelligence, and home-based accidents would require a rethinking of what constitutes a workplace.
“Of course, there are issues and worries about safety issues in the workplace. But this concern is everywhere. When you get home, maybe do an analysis of your house or even your room, and look at safety compliance, you will be alarmed at how careless you yourself are,” Oyerinde said.
“And we all take that same mindset to the office. You don’t drop carelessness at the entrance of the workplace. From the employer who sees safety investment as a cost, to the employee who asks, ‘Why must I wear a helmet or PPE?’—it’s a big issue.
“When an accident happens, you don’t recover fully. Even if you do, the scars remain. That is why this is not just a compliance issue; it is a life issue,” he added.
According to him, the biggest gaps in compliance were knowledge, awareness, and basic infrastructure, noting that many hazards were often ignored because they appeared harmless.
“I think the biggest gap that exists in compliance is knowledge and awareness. So there are some things you think are not hazardous. Even the chair you sit on matters. If you sit on a bad chair for eight or nine hours daily for over 35 years, the consequences will show after retirement. Awareness is key,” he noted.
Oyerinde said while NECA would not pretend that all organisations were compliant, its members were held to higher standards of responsible business conduct.
“If recklessness exists anywhere, I can assure you it is not as rampant among NECA members as in companies that deliberately isolate themselves from regulation,” he said.
He also warned that silence by workers in unsafe environments amounted to complicity. “If employers fail to put in place basic safety infrastructure and employees keep quiet, then they are also co-conspirators. We must name and shame unsafe practices. Safety is a personal responsibility for all of us.”
Explaining the audit process, he said assessments were evidence-based and rated in percentages, covering policies, behaviour, leadership, emergency preparedness, and implementation.
The DG noted that no organisation scored zero, describing compliance levels as average for a developing country. “Audit is not about who is non-compliant, but the level of compliance. Some have policies without implementation. Others have plans but no emergency response. So for 2025, 200 companies across the six geographical zones were audited,” he said.
Oyerinde added that organisations found to be performing exceptionally well would be rewarded, including with safety-related incentives such as ambulances. “The criteria used are beyond the control of NECA or NSITF. They were developed independently by experts. Those doing well deserve encouragement,” he said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, described SWIP as a key tool for driving private-sector compliance with workplace safety and employee compensation laws.
“The Employees’ Compensation Act is a robust law, but law alone is not enough without stakeholder engagement. That is why our collaboration with NECA has been very effective,” Faleye said.
He explained that the 2025 SWIP activities, delayed into early 2026 due to operational exigencies, would officially kick off with events in Lagos from January 20, followed by Enugu, and a grand finale in Abuja on January 27.
“Recognition and awards for compliant organisations encourage others to align. Compliance should not be driven by enforcement alone but by understanding the benefits,” he said.
Faleye added that the media played a critical role in public enlightenment and pledged continued engagement to deepen awareness of the Employee Compensation Scheme.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Salihu Usman, commended NECA and NSITF for sustaining SWIP, describing it as a model of effective collaboration.
“The Safe Workplace Intervention Project demonstrates what can be achieved when government, employers, and social security institutions work together,” Usman said.
He disclosed that the ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health Department participated actively as the audit’s technical partner to ensure alignment with national standards and global best practices.
“The emphasis on transparency, digitalisation of audit reporting, capacity building, and structured feedback aligns with our vision for a modern and credible occupational safety and health system,” he added.
Usman said the initiative supported the Employees’ Compensation Act 2010 and reinforced the Federal Government’s commitment to worker welfare, productivity, and sustainable development.
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