NECA, NSITF push to boost workplace safety, reward compliant firms

The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) have intensified efforts to raise workplace safety standards across the country, warning that negligence, weak safety cultures, and poor awareness continue to expose Nigerian workers to preventable injuries and fatalities.

The renewed push was highlighted on Friday at a press conference in Abuja, ahead of the NSITF-NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project (SWIP) 2025 interactive enlightenment forums and awards ceremonies.

The programme, a collaborative occupational health and safety initiative, is designed to audit corporate workplaces on safety policies, infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and compliance with national and international best practices.

Outstanding performers will receive ambulances, personal protective equipment (PPE), fire extinguishers, and other safety tools at the awards events, which will be held in Lagos, Enugu, and Abuja between January 20 and January 27.
Speaking at the event, Smatt Oyerinde, NECA Director-General Adewale- described workplace safety as a “life-and-death issue” often treated with dangerous nonchalance by employers and employees alike.

He highlighted the elevation of occupational safety and health by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to a core convention binding on all member states.
“Health and safety is no longer optional. It is now a human rights issue. Labour is not a commodity; there are human beings behind every job. From employers who see safety investment as a cost to employees who ask”,Oyerinde said. “

” ‘Why must I wear PPE?’ this is a serious issue. When an accident happens, recovery may be partial, but the scars remain. Safety is not just compliance; it is a life issue,” he added.

He warned that gaps in knowledge, awareness, and basic infrastructure remain the biggest obstacles to compliance. “Even something as simple as a chair can be hazardous over time. Awareness is key,” he said.

Oyerinde also stressed that employees who remain silent in unsafe environments are complicit. “Unsafe practices must be named and addressed. If employers fail to provide safety infrastructure and workers keep quiet, both parties become co-conspirators.”

Oyerinde further noted emerging challenges such as remote work, artificial intelligence, and home-based accidents, which require a rethinking of what constitutes a workplace. “We often carry the same mindset from home to the office. Carelessness in the workplace can have lasting consequences,” he said.

Oluwaseun Faleye, NSITF Managing Director/CEO described SWIP as a critical tool for driving private-sector compliance with workplace safety and employee compensation laws. “The Employees’ Compensation Act is robust, but the law alone is not enough without stakeholder engagement. Collaboration with NECA has been very effective,” he said, noting that recognition and awards encourage broader compliance.
Faleye explained that while the programme was tagged SWIP 2025, operational exigencies delayed implementation to early 2026.

Salihu Usman, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment commended NECA and NSITF for sustaining SWIP, describing it as a model of effective collaboration. Represented by the ministry’s Director of Occupational Safety and Health, Florence Owie, he confirmed that the department participated as a technical partner to ensure alignment with national standards and global best practices.