Occupational Safety and Health Association, a UK-based organisation, has bestowed an honorary fellowship award of the association on the Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Mr Joseph Ari.
This was made known on Friday in Jos in a statement signed by the fund’s Director of Public Affairs Department, Mrs Suleyol Fred-Chagu.
The statement said that the association, during the presentation ceremony in the UK recently, said that the award was in appreciation of Ari’s invaluable contributions to entrenching occupational health and safety in the fund.
The association also said that Ari ensured that employers adhered to occupational health and safety standards.
The statement said that Ari, in his acceptance speech, expressed delight and appreciated the association for the award.
He said that the fund as the foremost human capacity development organisation in Nigeria.
“The Fund is charged with the responsibility of setting and maintaining training standards in all sectors of the economy and monitoring adherence, among other responsibilities.
“In the discharge of our mandate, the ITF has over the years implemented several training programmes in occupational health and safety for both staff of the Fund and our stakeholders.
“It was in recognition of the important place of occupational health and safety in organisations that the ITF made it a key criterion for granting training reimbursement to contributing employers.
“This is aimed at encouraging employers of labour to carryout safety training and adhere to safety protocols in their various organisations,” he said.
He said was delighted and honoured to have been conferred with the award which he described not only a rare privilege but also an encouragement to do more.
He said that the ITF would be committed more than ever to the full actualisation of its mandate for overall economic and industrial growth in line with the vision of the Federal Government.
