Co-celebration of AWORP and WDOSH: Road safety...

It is the major challenge of the African Day for Occupational Risk Prevention (AWORP) and the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (WDOSH), to be held on Friday 28 April 2023.

Every April, Cameroon celebrates the 27^th edition of the African Day for Occupational Risk Prevention (ADIPR) and the 21st edition of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (WDOSH).

The event was organised in the conference room of the Social Insurance Centre Yaounde-Independence under the respective themes: "Occupational safety and health in the face of road safety: what synergy of actions between public and private stakeholders" and "a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work".

The top manager of the NSIF pointed out that "it is well known that today the risks on the roads are still significant and very tragic. The human factor and the state of the vehicles are identified as the most frequent causes of road accidents. Therefore, there is a need for serious and urgent action. State and private structures are each working in compliance with their own missions and with the means at their disposal to avoid traffic accidents as much as possible.  However, these actions, while appreciable in that they have enabled a remarkable reduction in the number of deaths, should nevertheless be amplified to achieve better results, as each death is one too many".

In the presence of the Director of the ILO Technical Support Team and the Director General of the NSIF, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Grégoire Owona, presided over the opening ceremony marking this double celebration: "I would like to particularly thank the Director General of the NSIF, president of the organising committee of this celebration, while at the same time, I would like to encourage him for the efforts he has constantly made to perpetuate this event, the usefulness of which is no longer in question in terms of raising awareness for better health and safety in the world of work. These encouragements also go to him for the fight he is constantly waging to improve the living conditions of pensioners while continuing the digitisation work that he has successfully initiated.  Moreover, the themes of these two days place us at the heart of the issues and challenges that concern us all today".

Some recommendations were made to the Government (MINTSS, MINTRANSPORT MINSANTE), employers, workers, the Société Camerounaise de Santé et Sécurité au Travail, and the NSIF at the end of the meeting. The NSIF should ensure that OHS management systems are implemented in companies, including road safety, ensure the registration of all workers in the road sector and sensitise those in the informal sector to voluntary insurance, ensure the proper functioning of the occupational medical structures and the CHS in the road transport sector, continue with the training of CHS members and finally, draw up an official list of pathologies that are incompatible with driving.

It should be noted that prevention is not the exclusive responsibility of the State or an Institution, let alone the company or the worker. It is everyone's business and everyone must be involved.