The former Governor of Ogun State and Chairman Kresta Laurel Limited, Otunba Gbenga Daniel was recently conferred with the Fellowship of the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers(NISE).
While being decorated by the executive officers of the institution led by its Chairman, Engr. Abiodun Oyedepo at the Kresta Laurel Complex, Lagos, the former governor advocated proper legislation on adherence to safety measures in workplaces especially engineering and construction industries as a way of preventing fatalities and unwarranted accidents..
According to Otunba Daniel, “safety is one of the most important factors in engineering and so, the NISE is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that safety measures are put in place and strictly adhered to in work places both private and public. As a matter of fact, routine inspection must be carried out regularly to double check adherence and conformity with such measures as stipulated”.
He cited the unique example of Kresta Laurel Limited which he emphasised has not recorded any incident of fatality since its over 25 years of operation because adequate safety measures were put in place.
Continuing, he said ‘the gap between developed and developing nations of the world is the presence of adequate safety measures and the premium placed in its observance to the letters”. He then advised the institution to lobby for legislation on these safety codes to give it legal teeth and thereby reduce the scourge of accidents in sundry formations.
NISE is a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and an agency that provides safety codes aimed at boosting the safety of projects.