Promasidor Nigeria Limited has restated its commitment to ensuring the safety of its employees and risk-free operations as it remains unwavering in adherence to health and safety requirements for organisational development.
This position was reinforced at the company’s safety day held last week under the theme “No Safety, Know Pain”, where stakeholders enlightened the workforce on health and safety measures, both at work and home.
Addressing the employees, Head, Technical of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Jean Robert Thouanel said life is meaningful and worthwhile when safety is present and aglow, and for the company, it is always safety first.
He said Promasidor takes delight in certifying that every employee accepts responsibility for their own safety and others around them, as well as stakeholders who may be affected by its operations. “Over the years, Promasidor has continued to improve on its safety consciousness, and as the business grows, it enhances its approach to safe work ethics,” Thouanel said.
He said the company has received commendation from government regulatory agencies and industry associations due to its high level of compliance to health, safety and environment.
Thouanel, who represented Anders Einarsson, the Managing Director of the company, outlined measures undertaken on work safety to include provision of the company’s safety manuals to employees and stakeholders, safety induction for every visitor and contractor, and the upgrade of hose reel system which complements the fire hydrant system and existing hose reel’s stations.
Others include introduction of iron barriers to buffer and protect walkways, quarterly celebration of near-miss recorders, new outfit for safety marshals and compliance to safety regulations.
Also, all employees of the company have insurance coverage in case of work accident.
For upholding safety ethics in the company, Promasidor presented certificates to deserving employees and urged them to be steadfast in their commitment to ensure accident-free operations.
In his remark, the guest speaker, Lanre Eyinfunjowo, Managing Director, Donald Resources and Services Limited, who spoke on the topic, Making Safety a Culture, said safety ethics should not end at work but also be imbibed at home.
Eyinfunjowo, who is a safety expert, advised that employees should have basic safety knowledge and operate equipment like fire extinguisher, even at home as part of tools to combat fire outbreak.
He stated that good safety culture can eliminate accidents at work and associated illness that may follow many years after, which a company may not envisaged.
According to him, the International Labour Organisation’s statistic shows that 2.2million people die every year as a result of accidents at workplace, and this could be traced to poor leadership structure in organisations where deaths occur. On this, he commended Promasidor for existing facilities to ensure work safety.
The safety expert explained that an organisation without proper leadership and safety measures for its workforce could have its corporate image eroded as a result of regular deaths or work-related accidents, also it may have economic effect on the company as resources meant for development would be spent on lives and property, and also litigations from employees.
On his part, Dr. Godwin Efobi, Head, Medical, Hygeia HMO, who conducted a health check for employees at the event, enlightened them on what they should know about breast and prostate cancer.
He pointed out the symptoms associated with both types of cancer, how breast cancer it can be identified in women and men as it is not related to the female folks alone.
He advised his audience to seek the assistance of medical practitioners at the early stage of affliction. This includes regular medical check in order to be physically fit for work.
While adhering to health, safety and environment compliance, Promasidor has earned recognition from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria which conferred the company with the ‘Best Kept Industrial Premises’ award.
It has also received commendation from the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Lagos State Fire Service and the National Environmental Standards and Regulatory Enforcement Agency.