The Kwara State Government on Monday asked contractors handling its infrastructural projects to pay more attention to health and workplace safety.
Speaking at another stakeholders’ meeting between MDA heads and contractors in the state, Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development Segun Ogunsola said the government is rigid on adherence to safety protocols, quality control, and professional ethics and conduct.
He also called for a minute of silence for the three workers who died last week following the collapse of a fence between Kwara Hotel and an adjoining building.
He also commiserated with the families of the victims, praying to God to repose their souls even as the processes for insurance compensation for their families are already ongoing.
The stakeholders’ meeting was attended by the Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology Damilola Yusuf-Adelodun; Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, Chairman, State Geographic Information Service, Sulyman AbdulKareem; and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Riskat Tinuke Abdulazeez.
Ogunsola tasked participants on the need for them and their workers to pay better attention to all construction work hazards and be familiar with the use of personal protective equipment and risk assessment process.
He also spoke about safety rules, emergency procedures, legal responsibility, and how best to promote safety protocols at construction sites.
“The reason why we are here today is to again discuss safety procedures, promote a safe working environment, and improve awareness on construction hazards, personal protective equipment that we must deploy at our various construction sites and the risk assessment process. These are all fundamental issues that all contractors must pay attention to while carrying out their daily activities in all construction sites,” Ogunsola said.
“It’s in the MOU you have signed with the Kwara State Government to ensure that you prioritise health and safety in whatever you are doing in our construction sites.
“We are not going to tolerate any contractor not taking health safety seriously on the construction site. Every human life is important, every Nigerian is important, every Kwaran is important,” he said.
Damilola, for her part, said it is important for contractors to erect notice boards with health safety inscriptions to serve as a reminder for their workers who engage in one form of work or the other.
KWAGIS Chairman, AbdulKareem, urged contractors to always bring approved building plans to sites for proof in case their field officers pay them inspection visit, saying this will assist in minimizing the risks that are associated with physical development.