Group supports Promoting Safe and Healthy Work in the Cocoa Supply Chain Sector in Osun State
The Hope for Family Development Initiative, HFDI jointly implemented a 2-Day Step-Down Training on Promoting Safe and Healthy Work in the Cocoa Supply Chain Sector at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Hall, Osogbo.
The training was facilitated by Mr. Babatunde Ogunmuko and brought together representatives from cocoa-producing communities, cooperative societies, and partner organizations.
The programme was designed to strengthen participants’ knowledge of Occupational Safety and Health, OSH, while promoting safer working conditions and the elimination of child labour within the cocoa value chain.
Participants had session on Understanding Hazards and Workplace Safety, with hazards described as unsafe acts or conditions capable of causing unexpected injuries or death. The facilitator explained the different categories of hazards: physical, mechanical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychological hazards, using practical examples from cocoa farming.
Also, the concepts of hazard, risk and harm were also explained to help participants understand how workplace accidents occur and why risks must be identified and managed before they result in injuries.
The second Session on Chemical Safety and Risk Management, emphasized the safe use of agricultural chemicals, including, understanding the type of chemicals and their health implications, hazard communication and contingency planning, and strategic chemical safety policies.
The participants also learned the three major routes chemicals enter the body — inhalation, ingestion and absorption.
On risk management, facilitators took participants through hazard identification, risk assessment, control measures, documentation, and continuous improvement.
Preventive measures discussed includes, hazard elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment, PPE.
During an interactive Q&A, Mr. Abdulsalam from Ayeoba Community raised poverty as a major driver of child labour. The facilitator responded that addressing poverty requires collaboration among individuals, communities, development organizations, and government through social protection and livelihood support programmes.
Key project focus areas also highlighted unsafe working environments, child labour, environmental and community safety, weak governance in the cocoa sector, and improving the socio-economic wellbeing of cocoa farming communities.
Risk Assessment Exercise, and Body Map Exercise (parts of the human body vulnerable to occupational hazards during farm work), were identified as arming activities, associated hazards, likelihood, severity, and existing control measures before presenting to the plenary. These activities deepened understanding of workplace risks and preventive actions.
The training strengthened participants’ capacity in occupational safety, chemical safety, risk assessment, and hazard prevention, while reinforcing HFDI’s commitment to promoting safe work environments and eliminating child labour in the cocoa supply chain across Osun State.
The sessions attended by HFDI Team Mr. Lekan Adedeji and Ms. Comfort, concluded with the facilitator urging participants to step down the knowledge in their communities to create safer and healthier cocoa farms.
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