Lagos mandates insurance policy for construction workers

Lagos State government said workers at construction sites must be insured against injuries or possible death.

Director General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola stated this on Thursday at the opening ceremony of a one-day training on safety, health and hygiene for artisans in the state, tagged: ‘Safety Compliance at Construction sites’.

Mojola declared that there was the need to enlighten company owners to take responsibility for safety of their employees seriously and ensure that they are adequately insured.

“The training is devoted to construction sector. We picked artisans across different associations, from welders, bricklayers and electricians on how they can ensure safety of lives while on sites and be informed about insurance schemes.

“There are several types of insurance that will be appropriate for them. There is Employers’ Liability Insurance, Insurance of Public Buildings and Insurance of Building under construction, depending on the type of contractor or the contract.

“The whole message is that they need to ensure that whatever job they are engaged in; they must ensure they are insured. In case of eventuality, they will have something substantial to fall back on.

“The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said 30 to 40 percent of incidents and accidents at work places are construction related and about 2.3 million accidents occurred every year, out of which about 6,300 are fatal and as such, we want accidents at construction sites to reduce to the barest minimum,” he said.

He implored participants to always make use of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at their various construction sites to reduce hazards.

In his presentation on the topic; ‘Essentials of Construction Safety’, Director of Strategy, Safety Advocates, Jamiu Badmus, took the participants through causes of hazards at construction sites and the need to imbibe safety culture to prevent accidents.