The safety culture in
Nigeria can be said to be at its nadir, with isolated pockets of advancement,
framework and compliance here and there, led by some who see-and-don’t-act
or say-and-don’t-act either due to their being round pegs in square holes or
due to literate-illiteracy. It seems Occupational and Process safety is
not part of the definition of Safety for the Nigerian Leadership, it seems to
be defined by the sum-total of security to property and lives offered by the Police,
Armed forces and other Para-military bodies.
The Oil and Gas sector is still the best place to encounter a
robust and well developed HSMS (Health, Safety Management Systems) championed
by the input of multi-nationals and fueled by the very cost intensive nature of
the business and the magnitude of the implications of a lack of safety
culture, followed by this sector will be the Construction and Health services
sector.
I have observed two things however in the nature of the above
deductions;
1.
The highest standards exist with Multinationals, with European and American
companies being top on the list, while their Indian and Asian counterparts rank
lowest, and some (emphasis on SOME) Nigerian
companies seem not to care with some work places lacking any
semblance of a safety culture (a
statistic derived from personal experience).
2.
The standards this Multinationals exhibit in Nigeria is still incomparable to
what they exhibit in their own Countries, with some of them getting away with
all sorts of infringements, infractions and non-compliance they otherwise
couldn’t have in their country.
The above deductions from my observation beg for analysis and a
plan of action. The analysis albeit critical, suggests two obvious things
right away.
1.
Nigerians as a people and as a country lack Safety cultures and probably don’t
understand safety in all its ramifications. And
2.
Due to the above our Environment sustains a steady lack of compliance to
standards (If any exists) by foreign Companies and a lackadaisical
attitude on the part of Nigerian Companies.
The implications to the Country cannot be overemphasized and
as such I would like to propose:
THE NIGERIAN SAFETY COMMISSION
The commission will not be set up to scrap other existing bodies
that presently manage safety within the Country, rather it will serve as the
REGULATORY BODY for all agencies, ministries, departments, private
organizations as well as NGO's who are involved in the business of safety
within Nigeria (And the truth is, everybody is involved).
The main problem with Safety in Nigeria is there are no
STANDARDS. The commission should be saddled with:
1. Define Standards of Safety at all levels and in conjunction
with the National Assembly pass legislations.
2. Regulate all sectors in terms of safety and monitor compliance,
issuing recommendations, warnings and eventual prosecution initiation, handover
workmen compensation cases discovered to the NSITF.
3. Carry out research, investigations and statistical analysis on
safety related data within the Country.
4. Commission will be divided into directorates covering all
aspect of safety, such as Road safety and its departments, Occupational Safety
and its departments, Nuclear Safety and its Departments, Food Safety and Its
departments, Environmental Safety and its departments etc.
5. In reference to all international treaties ratified by Nigeria
such as the ILO, ISO etc. as regards safety, develop national frameworks for
managing safety within Nigeria.
Many more functions will definitely be attributed as the
Government deems fit.
The Commission will ensure that there are no disconnects within
HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) managements in Nigeria, the approach will
ensure a structured and holistic view of managing safety in Nigeria.
I do not expect the Foreigners to take us seriously, if we don't
take ourselves seriously. The implications of a lack of such a Commission in
Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. If only a true picture of things could be
generated by bodies such as the National Bureau of Statistics you would find out
that a lot of Nigerians die and would die of work-related illnesses, that are
not discovered or when discovered are shoved under the carpets consciously or
unconsciously, as well as the direct and indirect costs attributable to the loss. The Potential revenue that could be generated for Nigeria via
this Commission is enormous via loss prevention both in terms of human and
material resources.
If Nigeria is truly serious about development, this is the right
step in the right direction as well as being the demonstration of the grasp of
real issues facing the common man.
Selah!
