Health Safety and Environment appears abstract on the surface but it has potential of providing thousands of jobs, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.
For job seekers, it is time to look inward and tap into opportunities around them as white collar jobs have become difficult to come by.
The situation is getting trickier as companies are either closing down or relocating to neighbouring countries where they hope to get comparative advantage.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), in a report, said the prevailing economic condition is taking its toll on the sector as millions of people have lost their jobs. More people, it said, would join the labour market as the country continues to grapple with epileptic power supply, among other problems. It added that capacity utilisation has dropped because companies operate with a few hands.
Tower Aluminum Nigeria Plc is facing that kind of crisis. The company, in a statement, said it is facing extinction because of shortage of materials. The company said its over 1,500 direct workers would be affected by the development.
With no jobs anywhere, the unemployed are faced with the reality of creating jobs for themselves.
An area with job prospect is Health Safety and Environment (HSE). It has to do with the safety and welfare of workers. It lays emphasis on the health and ecological protection of workers and ensures that companies achieve their objectives of posting good returns on investment. It presupposes that companies operate in a friendly environment where physical and natural disasters are averted to some extent.
Introduced in the oil and gas industry decades ago to reduce the effects of effluents or oil discharges, HSE has taken a multi-disciplinary dimension. Companies have realised the need to employ HSE experts for growth.
In the past, oil and gas and maritime firms mandated their workers to get a certificate on HSE, in addition to their academic qualifications to fit into the system. They later realised that they needed skilled personnel to handle such issues. This development has opened opportunities for trainers and consultants to earn a living.
President, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr Babatunde Ogun, said there are untapped opportunities in HSE.
Ogun said the prospect of getting jobs as health and safety management experts was high, advising the unemployed to try the area.
The area, he said, has opened job windows for people, since Nigeria is one of the largest producers of oil in the world.
He said HSE has the potential to create thousands of jobs, adding that people can work on their own or with the oil companies.
Ogun said: “There are lot health, safety and environmental issues in the (Onshore and Offshore) segment of the oil industry. There are issues relating to the physical condition of oil workers, safety of the oil sites, effects of oil leakages, gas flaring, among others. These must be handled by experts. Because the oil industry is broad, different safety and health related issues do comes up daily. People working in the area of health, safety and environmental management have a wider scope of activities. They work in line with the situations on ground. They carry out maintenance jobs, ensure safety of equipment, workers and oil sites.”
Multinational oil companies, he said, have not been able to employ enough people to render HSE services, adding that more workers are needed by the companies.
He said HSE workers are needed in the banking industry, too.
“Every sector of the economy requires the services of health safety and environmental personnel. Unfortunately, such workers are not enough in Nigeria. When there are oil leakages in the industry, multinationals cover them up to escape punishments. Such things cannot happen, if there are enough local safety and environmental experts on ground. The awareness is growing. With time, more people would go into safety and health area because of its immense opportunities,” he opined.
Ogun said the government must compel foreign oil majors to comply with safety and environmental guidelines, arguing that the development would provide job opportunities for people.
An expert, and a consultant on HSE, Mr Suleiman Ikhanaede, said HSE is a promising area for graduates willing to go into it.
Ikhanaede said people must be certified before they can work in those areas. He said the training has exposed him to the rudiments of environmental and health management, arguing that people would earn a living once they can apply the right skills.
He said companies are looking for those, who can train their staff on health, safety and environmental issues, adding that trainers earn good income.
Companies, he said, are yet to give the area the desired attention, stressing that the future is bright for people that specialise in health and environmental areas.
A geo-physicist, Mr Oyetunji Balogun, said people make a lot of money through consultancy. Balogun said HSE management is broad, arguing that people can consult for companies.
“As many people that know their onions can go into consultancy. Thousands of companies are looking for means of mitigating natural and human disasters. Such companies are ready to hire anybody who understands the terrain well,” he said.
The former President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Alhaji Bashir Borodo, said the country lacks adequate manpower in health safety and environmental management.
Borodo said companies spend fortunes on physical and material assets, adding that the safety of the assets must be guaranteed before meaningful growth can be recorded. He said people must be employed for the safety of the workers and the environment in which companies operate.
“There is a dearth of workers in that segment. We need specialists in the area of health safety and environmental management to promote economic growth. That area is for educated and intelligent people. We have a pool of unemployed graduates who can easily fit into it.
Safety and environmental issues are all encompassing. They cut across different sectors of the economy. This implies that various sectors need such workers to survive.
He advised Nigerians to start their own businesses, adding that it will have a multiplier effect on the economy. He said this can be achieved when people originate their ideas, and execute them well.
