A new workplace safety initiative backed by the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD Plc) is rolling out across its partner manufacturing companies, with a focus on practical training and day-to-day habits that keep workers safe.

The campaign was launched on Monday, December 22, at Landy Industry at Kigali Special Economic Zone, where employees and managers took part in a workplace health and safety training supported by the Development Bank of Rwanda.

Landy Industries (R) Ltd is a private manufacturing company established in 2018, specializing in the production of affordable plastic footwear, including boda-boda shoes, women’s sandals, and sports shoes for children and adults. The company operates a mass-production model targeting the domestic market, with a wholesale distribution network that serves both urban and semi-urban areas across Rwanda, ensuring broad market reach and stable product offtake.

By emphasizing product quality, operational efficiency, and reliable supply, Landy Industries has strengthened its competitiveness in the low- to mid-income footwear segment while contributing to employment creation and supporting the "Made in Rwanda” initiative and national industrial development objectives.

The phased initiative, themed "Kora Utekanye – Work Safely,” targets companies identified through structured assessments, operational insights, and sector-specific learning as requiring enhanced workplace safety capacity.

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At each site, companies select employees from higher-risk areas such as production lines, chemical handling, machine operation and finishing, to attend the on-site sessions.

The training courses cover basics like safe work practices, correct use of protective gear, fire prevention, what to do when an incident happens, how to report dangers early, and first aid.

Speaking to employees during the training, Juliet Ingabire, BRD’s Chief Risk Officer, said the initiative responds to concerns raised by both workers and employers, emphasizing inclusion and shared responsibility as the foundation of safer workplaces.

"The first step to a safety culture is to ensure that employees are empowered and involved in safety processes, they are more aware of what could harm them health wise, thus able to advocate for their safety rights in the workplace.”

She added: "I would like to emphasize that beyond compliance, worker protection directly influences productivity and economic outcomes. Operational health and safety form the backbone of sustainable businesses, protecting people, strengthening reputation, and enabling value creation.”

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Jean Paul Moise Niyonkuru, Senior Environment and Social Specialist at BRD, said the work with factories is based on gaps BRD observed, even in companies that have already taken steps to protect staff.

"Our collaboration with these companies is based on areas for improvement we identified in their safety approach. While they were already doing well, we work closely with both employers and employees to strengthen gaps and support them in meeting the required standards, because workplace safety is a shared responsibility,” he said.

Fidele Hitayezu, an employee at Landy Industry, said the training helped them understand their rights and responsibilities to maintain safety practices in their daily operations.

Diane Nisengwe, another employee, said the lessons made workplace risks easier to understand, especially around emergency response.

"There were many things we didn’t fully understand before, but they have now been clearly explained to us in a practical way. We were trained on how to use fire extinguishers properly and learned that different extinguishers are meant for different types of fire, which helps us respond faster and more safely in an emergency,” she added.

As part of the initiative, BRD will also support the creation of workplace safety committees, which will help track issues daily and ensure problems are addressed even when senior managers are not present.