CAPITALISM AND THE CRISIS OF WORKERS’ HEALTH IN NIGERIA: A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONAL NEGLECT

Abstract

This paper examines the systemic neglect of workers’ health within capitalist economies. Drawing from the perspective of health and industrial sociology, the study explores how capitalist economy prioritise profit over well-being, leading to institutionalised occupational hazards, labour precarity, and inadequate healthcare support. This study is justified by the persistent global and local neglect of workers’ health especially with weak labour regulation like Nigeria. Despite growing industrial activities, occupational health remains under-researched and poorly institutionalised. This study adopts a qualitative, conceptual, and literature-based research design, drawing upon secondary sources to explore the institutional neglect of workers health in Nigeria within the context of capitalism. It highlights the failure of state institutions to enforce occupational health and safety standards, the limited reach of social protection mechanism, and the persistent invisibility of workers in public health planning. Through a review of relevant literature, policy analysis, and theoretical insights from structural violence, political economy of health, and labour process frameworks, the paper argues that the crisis is not just a health issue, but a manifestation of broader structural inequalities entrenched in Nigeria’s capitalist development path. The study concludes by advocating for a reorientation of institutional priorities towards inclusive labour policies that centres workers health as a critical dimension of national development.