NIGERIAN Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) has held a one-day seminar to mark its 2020 world day for safety and health at work.
The seminar held via a webinar zoom meeting.
Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) Peter Ewesor, and Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity Department at Nigeria Communications Commissions (NCC) Bako Wakil were guest speakers.
They spoke on Electrical Safety Standards and Regulations in the Power Industry and Electromagnetic radiation and Human Health.
The NEMSA chief said electricity was a good servant but a bad master if used unsafely; “it is sometimes said if you work safely, you go to heaven, but if you work unsafely, to hell you go.
He explained common safety observations participants should take while dealing with electricity.
On his part, the NCC chief said communication masts should not be built too close to homes.
He said: For a typical base station and antenna (output power is 20W, antenna gain is 15dBi) and considering general public, the area outside about 4m diameter around antenna is safe.
The minimum height for the installation of radio antenna is 24 metres. Minimum distance from base of a telecoms mast to a domicile is 10 metres. ICNIRP Compliance boundary is four metres.”
Chairman of the institute Kings Adeyemi said the uniqueness of this year’s event was that it fell in the period of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since the essence of the annual event is to promote the awareness of health and safety standards at workplaces, our campaign on safety and healthy habits at this time is in order.
“We use electrical slogans to promote the awareness of the dangers of fire outbreaks and electrocution both at home and workplace. One of the slogans of electrical engineers is precaution is better than cure, because there may be no cure after all, or the cure may arrive too late.
“Many of our engineers are on essential duties and giving life to the nation’s economy during this pandemic period. While we are celebrating their valued contributions, we also need to remind workers of the importance of safety at workplaces,” he added.
On fire in workplaces, he said the common cause of electrical fires in buildings were misuse of extension cords, circuit breaker failures, low wiring capacity, faulty appliances, use of substandard products, quackery jobs, etc.
“This is why we usually recommend the use of certified made-in Nigeria cables and appliances,” he noted.
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