Labour Day Message

In conjunction with Labour Day (May 1 2008) the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) calls on all workers to regard and accept occupational safety and health as a human right issue and to always insist to work in a safe and healthy work environment.

NIOSH also urges all employers to respect the right of employees to work in a safe and healthy work environment and takes steps to ensure the realization of that right which is in line with the theme for this year’s World Day for Occupational Safety and Health which is “MY LIFE, MY WORK, MY SAFE WORK – MANAGING RISK IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT.’

In negotiations for Collective Agreements between Employers and Unions, aspects concerning safety and health must always be emphasized other than salary reviews and better terms and conditions of service.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) workers worldwide suffer 270 million accidents every year while accidents and diseases together account for over 2 million fatalities annually.

As workers must be assured of their rights to a safe and healthy work environment, there is a need to provide them with information, education and training so that they know best how to protect themselves.

Through the implementation of safe work procedures as well as the useage of personal protective equipment, the workers will be able to prevent accidents.

Accidents don’t just happen as they are caused and as such they can be prevented.

Making the workplace safe is a joint responsibility of both the employers and the workers. Safety should be a key issue at every workplace.

Safety training for employees is the key to achieving a successful safety programme and management must be committed to invest in safety.

An accident-free environment helps the company to save and increase the organisation’s productivity and profitability. It will also help to boost the morale of the workforce.

Companies must not profit at the expense of safety because if accidents occur lives may be lost and productivity will be affected.

The focal point of safety training is the human being who needs protection in all aspects of his life.