The Ogun State government is urging factories operating within the state to ensure the provision of appropriate safety equipment, including protective goggles, to protect the eyesight of their workers.
The state has identified a higher prevalence of blindness among factory workers. Dr. Tomi Coker, the Commissioner of Health, emphasized this during a press conference held to commemorate World Sight Day 2023, with the theme, ‘Love your eyes at work.’
Dr. Coker stressed the importance of factories and employers in ensuring the provision of protective goggles for their employees and maintaining a safe working environment.
“We have realised in Ogun State, in particular, that the number of blind people that we see within the factory workers is far higher, the proportion is far higher among the people working in factories than in the general population,” the commissioner said.
The commissioner disclosed that the government had distributed 250 free eyeglasses, otherwise known as ‘Jigi Dapo’ to the artisans at the Mechanic Village, Abeokuta.