Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) and Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) have partnered to boost fire safety and first aid awareness ahead of 2024 World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

KPC and KRCS on Tuesday held a joint fire safety sensitization drive at Nyayo Estate in Embakasi to empower area residents to effectively prevent and respond to fire incidents.

KPC Safety, Health and Environment Manager Carol Kiplagat said it is part of the firm’s pledge to imbed safety and awareness on emergent occupational safety and health risks.

“At KPC, we believe that ensuring the highest safety standards is a continuous journey that requires collaboration at all levels,” stated Kiplagat.

She added: “Through this partnership with the Kenya Red Cross, we hope to drive conversations that will lead to impactful changes in how we approach workplace and community safety.”

Kiplagat noted that the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28 will provide an opportunity for Kenya to shed more light on the importance of safety in residential areas.

The 2024 theme joins climate change and workers’ safety with KPC to host a weeklong drive to raise awareness on eliminating or minimizing safety risks aggravated by climate change.

KPC is slated to conduct a safety week from April 22 to 26, 2024 with the company planning to conduct a variety of activities to augment safety awareness across all its installations.

KRCS First Aid Instructor Philip Ochieng’ lauded the partnership with KPC calling for enhanced collaboration to empower domestic workers with ingenuous but lifesaving skills.

“With the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters induced by climate change, it is important for humanitarian agencies like the Red Cross to form strategic partnerships that allow us to scale training and awareness campaigns that boost preparedness levels across the country,” intimated Ochieng’.

International Labour Organization (ILO) is slated to release a report highlighting how climate change is altering the nature of work and its implications on the wellbeing of workers.

ILO estimates that more than 2.4 billion workers, out of a 3.4 billion global workforce, are likely to be prone to excessive heat at some point during their work, according to 2020 data.

This in effect means the proportion has gone up from 65.5 per cent to 70.9 per cent since 2000.

The report also estimates that 18,970 lives and 2.09 million disability-adjusted life years are lost yearly due to 22.87 million occupational injuries, which are attributed to excessive heat.

Additionally, 26.2 million people across the globe are living with chronic kidney disease which have been linked to workplace heat stress, according to available statistics from 2020.