The Lagos State State Government has decried the quantum of loss lives and properties at construction sites.
The Director General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Mojola said this at the opening ceremony of a one-day training on Safety, Health and Hygiene for Artisans in Lagos State, tagged: ‘Safety Compliance at Construction sites’.
In a statement by Adewunmi Okoh, Deputy Director of Safety Commission, Mojola declared that the training was organised to enlightened company owners and artisans to take responsibility for safety of their employees seriously and ensure that they are adequately insured.
He said the training is in line with the mandate of the Commission to ensure people are trained on safety best practice, precautionary measures and rule of engagements.
“The training is devoted to construction sector, we picked Artisans across different associations, from welders, bricklayers and electricians on how they can ensure safety of lives while on sites and be informed about Insurance schemes.
”There are several types of insurance that will be appropriate, for them, there is Employers’ Liability Insurance, Insurance of Public Buildings and Insurance of Building under construction, depending on the type of contractor or the contract.”
“The whole message is that they need to ensure that whatever job they are engaged in, they must ensure they are insured, in case of eventuality, they will have something substantial to fall back on,” says Mojola
According to him, “The International Labor Organisation (ILO) said 30 to 40 percent of incidents and accidents at work places are construction related; and about 2.3 million accidents occurred every year, out of which about 6,300 are fatal and as such, we want accidents at Construction sites reduce to the bearest minimum.
He implore participants to always make use of the Personal Protective Equipments (PPE) at their various construction sites to reduce hazards.
He said: “We are preaching the message of PPE so as to reverse the practice of ignoring the use of this protective equipment.
He disclosed that the Government would continue to do it’s part by supporting the industry and enact policies that will keep them safe and fit as they contribute to the GDP of the State.
In his presentation, on the topic; Essentials of Construction Safety, the Director of Strategy, Safety Advocates, Engr. Jamiu Badmus in his lecture took the participants through causes of hazards at the construction sites and the need to imbibe safety culture to prevent accidents, adding that life has no duplicate, the man you see when you look into your mirror is responsible for your safety, we should all work together and support the government in this, he said.
