EVERY year, millions of men and women lose their lives or suffer incapacitating illnesses or injuries while at work.

Currently, an estimated two million people die every year globally as a result of occupational accidents and work-related illnesses or injuries with 160 million new cases such illnesses said to occur yearly.

In Nigeria, the issue of health and safety at the work environment has not been better as there exists no stern law that enforces best  health and safety practices in work environment across the federation.

The Factories Act Cap 126, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990 is the only legislation for the enforcement of safety and health standards in Nigerian workplaces.

It provides minimum standards of safety and health in Nigerian factories. It provides for the enforcement of the Act by occupational safety and health officers in the Inspectorate Department of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.

However, in spite of efforts to enforce these provisions, workplace accidents still occur.

In a report issued for the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) explained that despite the fact that occupational diseases kill six times as many people, accidents attract greater attention. Of the estimated 2.34 million yearly work-related deaths, the vast majority - approximately 2.02 million are due to work-related diseases. This represents a daily average of 5,500 deaths. The ILO also estimates that 160 million cases of non-fatal work-related diseases occur yearly and 317 million non-fatal occupational accidents per year.

This means that every 15 seconds, a worker dies from a work-related accident or disease while every 15 seconds, 151 workers have a work-related accident.

According to the report, deaths and injuries take a particularly heavy toll in developing countries, where a large part of the population is engaged in hazardous activities such as agriculture, construction, fishing and mining.

Recently, Vice-President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Issa Aremu, decried what he observed as the lack of commitment to safety standards in workplaces and provision of congenial work environment by some employers in Nigeria.

He lamented that some workers had died out of what he described as sheer negligence of their managements to safety standards.

The Factories Act of 1987, 1990 and 2004 were the closest efforts made by the Federal Government to correct the situation but this is restricted to health and safety issues in manufacturing environment alone.

Studies indicate that in the past, efforts by government agencies to implement the provisions of Factories Act 1987, 1990 as regards health and safety in the workplace had been rather weak and virtually non-existent.

Evidence abounds that companies involved in promoting and protecting workers health and safety are among the most successful and competitive and also enjoy better rates of employee retention.

Despite the lack of an enabling law, some companies operating in Nigeria have adopted and are practicing health and safety initiatives.

Director, Department of Public Health and Environment, World Health Organisation (WHO), Maira Neira, said: “The wealth of business depends on the health of the workers”.

Similarly, President of Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN), Anslem Tabansi, at a recent workshop stressed the need for employers of labour to deliberately and conscientiously put in place, a well-designed and well managed workplace that can play a beneficial role in promoting workers’ health and well-being.

He stated: “One of the reasons is that until recently there was no adequate law, which seeks to regulate the practice of health and safety in general working environment in Nigeria.

According to him, “it is noteworthy that as long as there is no existing regulation that compels employers to adhere to safety and health issues; lip service will generally be paid to it by the majority of practitioners.

He added that the situation has however been remedied by the recent passage of bill on Occupation Safety And Health Bill 2012 by the National Assembly.

The bill, he explained seeks to protect workers from hazards associated with their jobs repeals and re-enacts the Factory Act 2004 making comprehensive provisions for safety, health and welfare of persons at work.

“Lagos State government with the establishment of the Lagos State Safety Commission and the passage of the safety laws in the state have shown leadership in this regard while other states in the federation are yet to replicate this initiative.” Tabansi added.

Similarly, Director-General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mrs. Dominga Odebunmi, who was represented at the event by Head, Research and Development, Akinoso Taiwo, explained that the technical knowledge of professional interior designers can have a significant positive impact by reducing injury, sick leave, increasing well-being and productivity, and conserving energy and other resources, thereby reducing costs to consumers and business.

He said: “Architects and interior designers must ensure safety and health so far as reasonable practicable. This will require them to take account of all relevant standards. British Standards (BS), International Organisation of Standards (ISO), European Standards (EN), LASG Construction Safety Guidelines that highlights clearly the role of the designer.

“The best way to ensure safety of any structure is to incorporate safety at its inception or design stage. In order to ensure professionalism, interior designers and architects should ensure incorporation of safety requirements during design, risks assessments are done to ensure the safety, relevant information is provided for all stakeholders, adequate training and competency and ability to demonstrate such.”