Press Sensitised On Occupational Safety

Out of over 60 countries worldwide, Cameroon was honoured by the European Business Assembly through a Douala-based Enterprise.

According to the International Labour Organisation and other specialised services, Sub Saharan Africa is a hotbed to work related accidents. Statistics for 2011-2012 hold that 1.1 million people were suffering from a work-related illness, 173 million others were killed at work, and some 111.000 injuries sustained by employees were reported. Meanwhile, 27 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury. The above revelation was made last Thursday June 13, during a one-day sensitisation conference regrouping members of the press corps. Organised by a Douala-based safety and security company, the overall objective aimed at evaluation the impact of such hazards on the economy, with Cameroon as case study, given its strife towards emergence by 2035.

In a paper titled "The Role of Safety in the Economic Growth of Cameroon," the QHSE and Communication Supervisor, Damian Kedzeh drilled the participants on the subject matter. His presentation showed that poor or inappropriate working environment accounts for 15% of these hazards while 85% is influenced by human factors. As way forward, he shortlisted the employment of safety conscious employees; their training and capacity building, the award of motivation in order to promote accident free, healthy and safe working atmosphere a sine qua none to economic bloom. The ceremony comes in the wake of the designation of the best enterprise and manager awards to NickCery, for its strides in the occupational health safety domain.