The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Safety

  • Expert advises drivers on safety

    Lagos State Safety Commission, Ms Debite Victoria-Olu, has said adherence to tanker drivers’ checklist will prevent accidents.

    She spoke with the LSSC of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday against the backdrop of the Harmattan period, its attendant hazy atmosphere and transportation of petroleum products.

    Victoria-Olu said the agency was working in partnership with other security organisations concerned with accident-free road management “and the depot owners to check these incidents.”

    “The drivers’ checklist is a comprehensive preventive measure, which will not only save the driver, but also save property and lives of the people if adhered to.

    Read also: FRSC tasks petrol tanker drivers on safety regulations

    “There, you find out that the list stated the worthiness of the tankers allowed to load gasoline at the depot, with health safety environment officers to administer it at depots.

    “There are also provisions on safety measures on transit, which is at the discretion of the driver, although checked by operatives on the road.

    “With the hazy period around, the concern it requires is that the regulators and drivers should be more careful, heed the regulations and check such incidents that can lead to losses,” she said.

    These have made the Federal Road Safety Corps to carry out campaigns to check the incidents.

     

  • Lagos assures residents of safety

    Lagos State Government has assured residents that the on-going flood abatement and ocean shore protection measures in the state will not harm them.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy Kehinde Bamigbetan, in a statement yesterday said the government has already commenced the maintenance of all primary, secondary and tertiary drainage channels under the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI).

    “Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration is mindful of the terrain and geographical location of the state being very close to the coast which makes it relatively prone to flooding and as such has come up with the global best practices through the engagement of reputable and competent contractors for all year schedule maintenance of all primary, secondary and tertiary drainage channels in the five divisions of the State,” Bamigbetan said.

    He listed the areas currently undergoing dredging and cleaning to include: Adetokunbo Ademola collector drain; 1004 collector drain – 1004 – Bishop Aboyade Cole to IGI; Idejo collector drain – Idejo – Adeola Odeku to Ozumba Mbadiwe; Billy collector drain, Epe; Beecroft/Simpson collector drain Lagos Island; Jankara/Adeniji Adele/Dolphin Estate Channel, Lagos Island; Ashimowu/Bakere Channel, Mushin; Ladipo Trape Zoidal channel, Mushin; Kehinde/Eta-oko collector drain, satellite Town, Amuwo-Odofin and dredging of Ketu-Alapere channel.

    Others, according to the Commissioner are dredging of 3.50km long Ketu-Alapere Drainage Channel, Kosofe LGA; 2.07km long Lakowe Drainage Channel, Lakowe, Ibeju Lekki; NTA 7 Tejuosho/Alaka Channel, Surulere; Osapa/Maiyegun Channel, Eti-Osa; Abeokuta/Egbe/Idimu Channel, Alimosho LGA; Ogombo Channel, Eti-Osa; Aguda/Coker Channel, Surulere and 615m long Kokoro Abu/Adeniran Ogunsanya Drainage Channel, Sabo, Ikorodu.

    He also listed areas being cleaned up under the exercise to include Akibo Savage Collector drain, Church gate collector drain; Agoro Odiyan collector drain; Old Ewu Road collector drain; 5.00km long Ladipo Collector Drain; 1.98km long Alafia Collector Drain; 2.30km long 21 Road Collector Drain; 820m long Amuto/Adeniji Adele Collector Drain; 235.0m long Thomas/Adeniji Adele Collector Drain; 850.00m long Oba Sefiu Adewale Drainage, and 950.0m long Billy Tertiary Drain.

    “In addition, the Lagos State Public works has also commenced the cleaning/clearing of some road drains and inlets capable of causing traffic gridlock during the heavy down pour such as the inlets along Odo-Iya Alaro Bridge,” he said.

  • Uber introduces safety step to prevent drowsy driving

    Uber has introduced new hours policy for its driver-partners across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, to help enhance driver and passenger safety.

    Drowsy driving is an issue for all who share the road and Uber said it is committed to doing its part to prevent drowsy driving.

    With this new feature,which started from last Monday, Uber would launch a feature across the country that prompts drivers to go offline for six hours after 12 hours of driving. Drivers, who do not take a long enough break, will not be able to log into the app and take trips before that period expires.

    Uber already has features like an in-app notification that reminds drivers to take a break when feeling tired on the road and advises drivers with their Community Guidelines to take breaks if they are feeling tired. The new driving hours policy is an additional feature that will help improve safety on the roads.

    Uber West Africa General Manager Lola Kassim said: “We want to promote safe and responsible use of the Uber app and this feature has tremendous potential to protect not only Uber driver-partners, but also their passengers and, ultimately, all road users. Driver-partners in Nigeria are already driving responsibly but safety is one of our key pillars and we believe this new feature will be adding one more safety layer.”

    Driver-partners will be able to track the time they spend on Uber trips and will be reminded when they’ve reached their maximum time on the Uber app.

    It provides periodic notifications when drivers are approaching the 12-hour driving time limit and then will automatically go offline for six straight hours when their max has been reached, but drivers will be able to finish any trip they’re currently on. After the six hours, driving time resets and drivers can go online again to receive trip requests.  This will be a phased roll out and not all driver-partners will see this right away.

    “Last month, we rolled out this feature across South Africa.  Based on drivers feedback, the new feature is working well and has helped enhance driver and passenger safety. We are excited to roll this out across the rest of the region as this move will strengthen Uber’s approach to help keep riders and drivers safe on the road while preserving the flexibility drivers tell us they love, “ Kassim adds.

    To ensure drivers understand the rationale and the functionality of the feature, Uber has held various focus groups across their Greenlight Hubs (support centres) and has announced the feature through podcasts which can be accessed through the app.

    From this, drivers have expressed the need for information and education sessions, which Uber has implemented, these include sessions which provide advice and examples such as how this will impact their businesses and how they can put together a responsible schedule for their small business.

    Uber, Kassim said, is constantly looking at new ways to use technology to contribute to safety in their communities.

     

  • Shell urges contractors on safety

    The Vice President, Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN) and Gabon, Peter Costello, has urged contractors working for and with SCiN to prioritise safety and be relentless in discussing the challenges they face.

    He noted that the international oil giant was poised to help improve safety performance throughout the energy industry.

    “Safety is our top priority. Everyone who works for us, or with us, has an important part to play in making SCiN a safer place to work. We cannot succeed in isolation and we must share the challenges by building strong partnerships to further improve our safety culture,” Costello said at the 7th edition of annual SPDC JV Contractor, CEO Safety Leadership Conference in Lagos.

    “We expect our staff and contractors to comply with safety rules and regulations relevant to their work; to intervene to prevent unsafe conditions; and to respect fellow workers and the communities in which we work,” he said.

    In his remarks, Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Country Chair, SCiN, Osagie Okunbor, described the annual event as an opportunity to share learnings and ensure alignment, common ground and shared commitments on Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in Shell’s joint operations.

    “We cannot be too careful with safety issues. Through engagement, we ensure that the right competence is in place and we create opportunities for our staff and contract staff to speak openly about dilemmas. The collaboration must be continually strengthened so as to make Shell a safety model in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.” Okunbor said, adding that SPDC “more than ever before, is committed to delivering energy responsibly and safely, with total prevention of harm to our employees, contractors, local communities and the environment.”

  • Safety at crusades

    •That is the import of a victim’s court victory over seven lost teeth

    Recklessness by people in authority is no longer strange in Nigeria. Public officials elected by the electorate, and thus expected to be responsible to them, have often claimed or behaved in a manner that suggests that they are merely doing the public a favour. When demands are made that campaign promises be fulfilled, the public servants or elected office holders sometimes feel offended and tell the aggrieved to do their worst.

    The culture appears to have seeped to the church. Clergymen sometimes claiming divine authority damn whoever chooses to complain about any of their actions or inactions. This was what played out in 2010 when Mrs. Tamara Egbedi, a lawyer, attended a crusade organised by the Chapel of Liberty. As confirmed by the defendants, the chapel and its presiding pastor, Rev. Chris Kpakpovwe, the crusade recorded “a huge attendance.” When the matter came before Justice Candide Johnson of the Lagos High Court, the plaintiffs proved that the defendants paid little or no attention to the interest and safety of the invitees, thus, Mrs. Egbedi fell into a ditch at the National Stadium, Lagos, venue, losing seven teeth at once.

    It is unfortunate that, when the matter was reported to the church leadership, the victim got very little attention, and when she continued to insist that the church should bear the cost of her treatment as well as pay some compensation, she was not only denied by the church, but dared to go to court.

    This is contrary to the care and concern that Jesus Christ who leaders of the church claim to follow took while establishing the Church. In the Good Samaritan parable, he taught his disciples that his followers should take care of whoever they were in position to, irrespective of the situation, even when they are not in any way responsible for the hurt. On another occasion when the multitude followed him into the wilderness to partake of his ministration, the founder of the Christian faith had to make provision for about 5,000 out of compassion. It is therefore incongruous that the Chapel of Liberty was denying a victim at its programme of necessary care.

    We agree with Justice Johnson that it is “ridiculous” that the church could “without any remorse or conscience argue that they only rented a space at the National Stadium so they owed no duty of care or concern for the welfare and safety of the guests.” Indeed, as the judge declared, it is the type of “reckless impunity and consciencelessness” that has given Nigeria its poor image. In addition to the N9.45 million that the church and its founder were ordered to pay as compensation, it should on its own apologise to Mrs. Egbedi for the emotional trauma she was made to go through.

    It has become commonplace in Nigeria for religious houses to organise programmes that would eventually lead to commotion or sometimes death without as much as offering a simple apology to the victims or their families. This reeks of impunity that is strange to the religion. It should be noted henceforth, following from Justice Johnson’s verdict, that churches and mosques are responsible for the welfare and safety of their guests, whether members or not. Anyone who could not make adequate preparation for their guests should not invite the general public. There should be adequate provision for traffic control, security, safety, conveniences and medical care.

    This also suggests that the government should not abdicate its responsibility in such circumstances. Whenever it comes to the attention of government agencies that such crusades or revivals are to be held, the agencies should invite the authorities for discussion on provisions being made in these respects.

    The judiciary, too, should note that justice delayed is justice denied. Were Mrs. Egbedi unable to raise sufficient fund for her needs, she might have recorded some permanent damage in the seven-year period of wait.

  • Lagos trains on health, safety in Chemical industry

    The Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC) has trained key players in the chemical industry on health and safety.

    The LSSC held the one-day training in Lagos on Monday, in collaboration with its safety consultant Didomi Company Ltd.

    The theme was ‘A focus on health and safety in the chemical industry: an education and sensitisation workshop on health and safety in the me mega city.’

    Permanent Secretary,  Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Relations,  Dr Jemilade Longe, said the workshop is an advocacy programme for handlers of chemicals, to educate them on how to handle chemicals safely.

    Longe,  represented by his Director of Admininistartion,  Human Resources,  Basirat Akinsanya, said with the workshop,  all those handling chemicals will be more safety cautious. She said this would enable the state achieve its vision and mission.

    “When individuals are safety councious,  organisations will be safe, the community will be safe and their will be less cases of emergency.”

    She urged participants to take the workshop seriously, noting that life was all about safety and continuous training is essential.

    The Commision’s Director-General, Hakeem Dickson, was represented by Director of Safety, Training and Education,  Adebiyi Adeyinka.

    Dickson said: “The Comision was established to ensure the safety of Lagosians and ensure that all sectors in the state’s economy are carried out in such a way that workers are safe. We are responsible to ensure that everybody in the state is safe irrespective of where they come from.

    “The workshop is about handling chemicals safely and all stakeholders are here to be sensitised on how best to carry out their jobs so that the dangers arising from the handling of chemicals can be reduced.

    “One of our functions at the commission is to conduct safety risk assessment of their storage facility, to know if the chemicals are safely stored.”

    He said the workshop would ensure safe chemical handling in the state, noting that it would prevent spillage of chemicals that could ignite fire.

    Didomi Company Limited,   Chief Executive Officer, Adekola Joseph, said the workshop seeks to sensitise key players in the chemical industry, including the manufacturers,  importers,  dealers and users on the use of chemicals.

     

     

     

  • ‘Neighbourhood Watch our commitment to safety’

    The Neighbourhood Security Agency (NSA) is our commitment to safety and security in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike has said.

    Represented by Secretary to the State Government Mr. Kenneth Kobani,  Wike spoke yesterday at the swearing-in of Batch ‘A’ corps members at Nonwa-Gbam in Tai.

    He said the government would support the NYSC to make the corps members self-employed.

    “I have followed with interest, NYSC programmes, especially the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) scheme.

    “I hail the NYSC management for partnering Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to develop the capacity of corps members through the Youth Innovative Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YIEDP).

    “This unique partnership is not only timely and sustainable, but also remarkable,” he said.

    The governor added that the partnership will serve as a catalyst for the corps members to become entrepreneurs.

    He urged corps members to shun cultism, religious intolerance, political violence and any anti-social behaviour.

    State Coordinator Sunday Aroni noted that 2,770 corps members reported and registered, adding that 1,362 are men and 1,388 women.

    He thanked Wike for his support and fatherly disposition to the scheme.

  • NIMASA: Safety critical to blue economy

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said safety in the Gulf of Guinea is a prerequisite to the success of blue economy in the country.

    Its Director-General, Dr  Dakuku Peterside who spoke yesterday during a meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Implementation of the African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) 2050 hosted by the agency in Lagos, said security officials are working hard to ensure security in the Gulf of Guninea.

    Represented by head, Maritime Safety, Capt Sunny Umoren, the NIMASA chief said there was no way the potential of the Blue Economy could be tapped by any country in the sub-region without a clear-cut strategy on how to promote maritime security and safety in the Gulf of Guinea.

    According to him, the essence of the committee was to come up with strategies that would stem the cycle of criminalities in the Gulf of Guinea, attract more ships to Nigerian ports and attract less insurance charges on cargoes destiny for the Nigerian sea ports to make it a hub in the sub region.

    “The Gulf of Guinea is perceived as not being safe because of the few attacks; I can assure you that the Navy and maritime administration are working hand in hand to secure the Gulf of Guinea.

  • Accident investigation and safety

    ACcording to an adage, “experience is the best  teacher”.

    In the history of Nigeria, a lot of public and private sector organisations have failed and gone into oblivion.

    My question, however is: Does this generation know why those businesses failed or collapsed and how will the upcoming generations know why?

    There is, therefore, the need to document the essential stories of the rise and fall of such businesses to enable business entrepreneurs and political office holders learn lessons  to avoid the pitfalls, which brought them down.

    Similarly, it is expedient that for the lead agency, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the state traffic management agencies to establish effective and result-oriented mechanism for the regular and prompt investigation of road traffic crashes (post-crash investigation and reporting) with an unbiased identification, documentation and publication of the causes of the accidents. This will surely go a long way in enhancing safety on Nigeria roads because road users will be adequately exposed to the pitfalls responsible for the accidents and consciously take steps to avoid the pitfalls with their adverse consequences.

    There is, no doubt, about the fact that road accident investigation and documentation involve a lot of money. This is, however, one of the areas where the governments at the Federal and state levels need to  demonstrate their commitment to the safety of the lives and properties.

    The governments should sponsor  FRSC and state traffic management agencies officers for more training in investigation and reporting and  provide funds for the documentation of the reports to boost road safety education and safety on the roads.

    The provisions on Road Safety Administrations in the Police Act before the creation of the Federal Road Safety Commission in 1988 has not been reviewed till date (The power and functions are still there in the Police Act). The role of the VIOs and the Police in Accident investigation and reporting is still conflicting and confusing, still unknown to several Nigerians. In the same vein, the clause in the constitution which conferred the function of Road Safety Administration on State Governments is still sitting there in the constitution without any serious move to amend it even after the FRSC Establishment Act. These have been causing lots of confusion and crises in Road Safety Administration in Nigeria.

    Likewise, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and some other Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies over the past years have been laying claims to the creation of millions of jobs for the unemployed youths. But has anybody asked how they arrived at the decision to select the Trade areas? Did they go to the market place to know how many people are already engaged in that Trade and how they are faring in the business?

     

     

    Has any of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies carried out the requisite monitoring and evaluation to know how many out of the youths they trained in the past are using the skills and how are they doing before deciding to train more youths in the same set of Trades or what is the percentage of relapse and why? No of course!  It is very expedient for the Governments (Federal, State and Local) and Nigerians as a whole, to always research into the past as a guide to planning for the present and future efficiently and effectively.

     

    Dangers of distraction in driving (II)

    • Unsafe reaction to emergencies.
    • Lane indiscipline.
    • Erratic interpretation of information and wrong judgment.
    • Improperly co-ordinated driving and braking.
    • Prone to driving errors and crashes.

    Consequent upon the dangers of every distraction, I use this medium to appeal to drivers and vehicle owners to avoid distractions to save their lives and that of other road users.

     

     

  • Technology, safety and security

    There have been several road accident cases which led to the loss of lives as a result of Road Traffic Management officers pursuing violators of road traffic regulations. In today’s world of technology, the physical pursuit or stoppage of traffic rules violators is not so much necessary anymore. With the installation of CCTV cameras and allied gadgets in appropriate places, traffic offenders can be easily arrested and prosecuted without causing death or traffic jam. Examples abound in Britain, US, UAE (Dubai-Abu Dhabi road) among others.

    The Federal, state and local governments in Nigeria, however need to be more serious and proactive in ensuring proper street naming, vehicle numbers plate with chips and biometric data capturing of all vehicle owners, among other measures, to enhance the use of technology in road safety administration.

    It is disheartening to know that the right technology has not been deployed in the Northeast states and other black spots in Nigeria to curtail the activities of the terrorists despite the claim of billions of dollars being spent to fight terrorism in Nigeria.

    I expected that by now, all the schools, markets, motor parks, religious buildings and other vital facilities in the Northeast states and some other states would have been bombarded with very active, effectively monitored and secured CCTV cameras. If this was in place, the recent abduction of another set of schools girls in Yobe State would have been avoided or promptly checkmated.

    The major problem that the previous and present governments in Nigeria have been having is, “not paying attention to details”. They have been so busy with ceremonial issues while neglecting the most vital issues.

    I use this opportunity to advice the Federal and state governments to invite ICT, security and safety experts for a result-oriented dialogue (not a jamboree gathering) on how to cost-effectively use technology to promote safety on Nigeria roads and curtail the activities of insurgents and other criminals in all the black spots in Nigeria. Prevention is always easier, cheaper, more effective and better than cure.