By Segun James
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the state will enforce occupational safety guidelines in work places.
According to him, safety in work places and the worker would no longer be taken for granted.
The governor stated this in Lagos, during an Occupational Safety and Health Conference organised by the state’s Safety Commission in commemoration of this year’s ‘World Day for Safety,’ said, “we will ensure strict enforcement of safety rules and guidelines that are geared towards making the workplace safe and hazard free.’’
The governor was represented by the state’s Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Engr. Tayo Bamgbose-Martins.
He further assured that the state would continue to work tirelessly to make Lagos safe and secure for all residents by developing a virile health and safety system responsive to any emergency.
“With the challenges we have faced in the health sector in the face of this global pandemic, we are now more resolute and committed to develop a health system that is more efficient and responsive in dealing with any epidemic or pandemic that may occur in the future.
“In Lagos, we have put in place strategies and initiatives to ensure the delivery of safety measures ahead of whatever crisis we might be confronted with in any sector of the economy,” he said.
In his keynote address, the Director General/CEO, Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC), Mr. Lanre Mojola, said the hazards of work-related accidents and illness which are caused by unsafe conditions acts and practices, calls for the need for countries to deliberately put health and safety systems in place to change the narrative.
He pointed that as a responsive government, the state was charged with providing regulations and laws required to ensure that workers can discharge their duties in a safe and conducive manner
He assured that the Commission would continue to spread the message of safety, saying “it is only a safer Lagos that can guarantee the attainment of a greater Lagos.”
According to him, the COVID-19 has given rise to numerous unparalleled challenges globally and put to test existing protocols on safety and health in the workplace.
“Governments, organisations and workers have been forced to think outside the box and develop new methods of work to remain productive and adjust to new reality which we call the new normal,” he said.
