President/Chairman-in-Council of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, has said health and safety of workforce is a moral duty, noting that it is also critical to sustaining productivity and driving national prosperity.
The president who was represented by the immediate past national chairman of Industrial Division of NSE, Engr David Abu Ozigi, noted this at the just concluded Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE),2025 World Day for Safety and Health at Work with theme: “Revolutionising Health and Safety: The Role of AI and Digitalisation at Work.”
According to him, it is only when our workers are healthy and safe that they can contribute optimally to the business of nation-building and wealth creation.
Also, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Salihu A Usman, said the annual commemoration is a cornerstone of our global commitment to worker well-being which provides us with a crucial opportunity to reflect, learn, and to recommit to creating safer and healthier workplace for all.
” It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem and on how promoting and creating a safety and healthy culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries.
He said by emphasizing on the need for continuous collaboration and co-operation of all stakeholders across all sectors, of our shared vision in achieving the highest level of safety, health and wellbeing of all workers in the Country.
And also, he reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment is committed to fostering a collective approach to build a positive safety and health culture which cannot be over-emphasized in achieving lasting improvements in safety and health at work
He said the automation of tasks may lead to new ergonomic challenges or psychosocial risks associated with job displacement or altered work patterns and the data-driven nature of AI raises critical questions about worker privacy and the ethical use of surveillance technologies in the workplace.
Also, Director ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Liaison Office for ECOWAS Dr. Vanessa Phala said digitalisation and AI has brought groundbreaking innovations to help protect the health and lives of workers.
” Today, robots instead of workers are operating in hazardous environments, doing the heavy lifting, managing toxic materials and working in extreme temperatures.
” They take on repetitive and monotonous tasks, while digital devices and sensors can detect hazards early on. However, this landscape of novel opportunities unfolds alongside a new spectrum of potential risks.
” Digital technologies can lead to accidents, ergonomic risks, work intensification, reduced job control, and blurred boundaries,” he said.