The county’s efforts to address employee safety at the workplace received a major boost today after the International Labour Organization (ILO) rolled out a four-day training on occupational safety and health at Lodwar Vocational Training Centre.
The training targets to empower instructors and staff of the institution on matters of safety standards, occupational hazards, and pathways for reporting mishaps at the workplace for appropriate response by the relevant entities.
The County Chief Officer for Vocational Training and Sports, Robert Loyelei, officiated the training saying that the county had embraced employee safety at the workplace, as it is not only a local concern but an international best practice.
He described the training as the first step towards achieving zero accidents at the workplace, by setting the pace for the provision of the necessary protective gear for all employees.
“The training marks the beginning of our renewed efforts as a county towards instituting infrastructure for zero workplace accidents for the safety of the staff,” the CCO said.
Loyelei also asked the trainees to set up groups through which the knowledge gained could be shared with staff and students of other vocational institutes across Turkana.
On his part, Stephen Eregae, the Director for Vocational Training and Education, said that the partnership with the ILO had also delivered a component of occupational safety and health training during the empowerment of staff on the emerging cobblestone technology.
He explained that the training had come at an opportune time when the institutions were looking forward to a surge in enrollment courtesy of the “Form ni TVET” campaign.
The Director promised to fully implement the call made by Chief Loyelei on the sharing of the knowledge gained by ensuring that the trained staff interact with staff of other vocational institutions to facilitate the knowledge transfer.
It is expected that the four days of training will expose the trainees to learning experiences from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM).
