The Lagos State Safety Commission on Thursday disclosed that the Commission was set to develop an occupational safety and health Master plan for the state, its Director General, Mr. Lanre Mojola, has announced.
A statement he issued on Friday, in Lagos, said the commission was saddled with the responsibility of developing safety guidelines for the State’s reopening of economic activities post COVID-19 lockdown.
“The Commission was involved in the enforcement of the COVID-19 Protocol and this led to the sealing of 30 event centres and 400 clubs across the State”, he added.
On construction safety, the director general said that the commission carried out a risk assessment and conducted unscheduled safety inspections of construction sites to ensure safety compliance.
The commission said the safety inspections of construction sites was also to check if the workers adhered to COVID-19 protocols, to prevent accidents, incidents, illnesses and loss of lives.
He added that the commission issued Provisional Safety Compliance Certificates for 90 days and Safety Compliance Certificates thereafter, where compliance status was maintained.
Mojola stated that enforcement actions were carried out on 609 construction sites for repeated failure to comply with safety regulations.
“The idea is to provide a comprehensive strategic framework and policy direction for Occupational Safety and Health in Lagos State.
” The framework will further protect the State’s human capital, its most valuable resource and asset by building a safer and healthier Lagos, through the development and sustenance of occupational safety and health in work places.
” The annual World Safety Day would kicked-off across the world on 28th April to create awareness, sensitize and educate people on the importance of keeping the workplace safe and free from occupational hazards, accidents, incidents and preventable illnesses.
“The Commission, in keeping with the global trend, is partnering with OSH consultants/ practitioners as well as professional bodies to celebrate the day by brainstorming to develop practicable and actionable ideas on how to significantly reduce man hour losses in the workplace across the State.
“This will increase overall productivity and enhance the wellbeing of Lagosians,” he stated.
On school safety, the commission had established Safety Prefects in public and private schools, saying that the inauguration of Safety Ambassadors in the six Education Districts of the State had also begun.
He said the ambassadors would serve as link between the Commission and secondary schools, adding that the commission had been carrying out safety audit in over 500 public and private schools since 2019.
“The vision is for every student to be safety conscious and develop competencies in hazard identification and mitigation,” Mojola said. (NAN).
