Opening of a Workshop on Occupational Health and Safety in Mauritania

The Ministry of Public Service and Labor, in cooperation with the International Labour Office – North Africa Branch, organized on Wednesday in Nouakchott a workshop on the national occupational health and safety dossier.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Service and Labor, Mr. Bakaye Ould Abdelkader Ould El Khou, stressed that occupational health and safety has always been at the heart of the sector’s policies, which are based on the concern for work and the creation of a sound work environment that enables the practice of work in appropriate health conditions, in line with the vision of His Excellency President of the Republic Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani and the program of the government of Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay, which places occupational health and safety among its priorities.

He explained that the Public Service and Labor Sector is keen to develop a comprehensive national policy in the field of occupational health and safety in order to create safe working conditions and make it a reality in institutions, highlighting the importance of cooperation between all social partners in the field of work, calling on everyone to fulfill the legal obligations established in this regard.

He said that the sector, under the guidance of the Minister of Public Service and Labor, Mr. Mohamed Ould Soueidatt, is working hard to create a national strategy for occupational health and safety that stems from the reality of the work environment and its conditions to achieve a number of basic objectives, the most important of which are to protect workers from hazards during their work, and to match the physical and mental abilities of workers in performing the work assigned to them.

In turn, the representative of the International Labour Office in North Africa, Dr. Aida Lamloum, praised the efforts made to organize this workshop, during which experts in the field of occupational health and safety will review the “National Profile of Occupational Health and Safety in Mauritania”, recalling some of the laws issued by the International Labour Office on this subject.

She added that the ILO encourages and supports all member states to adopt international conventions in the field of occupational safety and health, especially International Convention No. 187 on the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health and Recommendation No. 197, which promotes an integrated and sustainable occupational safety and health system that enables the development of effective preventive policies to prevent crises and control their effects.

The opening of the workshop was attended by the Director General of the National Labor Medicine Office and a number of sector managers.