Authority Bans Children From Construction Sites

Building Control Au
thority in Lagos has banned children from working on construction sites across the state.
The authority specifically  said that the ban affected children aged between five and 17 years.
The General Manager,  Lagos State Building Control Authority (LASBCA) Mrs Abimbola Animashaun-Odunayo,  made this known at the 14th Lagos Housing Fair while delivering a paper titled.“The Imperative of Safety at Building Construction Sites: LASBCA’s Statutory Responsibilities.”
According to her, the ban was part of efforts to protect children and minimise the high number of minors usually rescued from debris whenever a building under construction collapses.
“It is now an offence to see children in any building site in the state.
“And the authority considers anybody below 18 as a child. It is common to see children on site without slippers and shoes.
“Some of them do not even know why and what they are doing there in the first place,” she said.
Animashaun-Odunayo said that the authority had come up with the do and don’ts at building sites in the state.
She said that it was now compulsory for those embarking on new constructions, renovation and extensions to submit their documents from designs, drawings to detailed specification to LASBCA.
The general manager said that since safety in construction starts with soil investigation, they were also expected to contact LASBCA before doing soil test.
He said workers on construction sites should always wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as shoes, helmet, mask and jackets.
Animashaun-Odunayo said that there must be site layout and facilities for workers to use when pressed.
She said that induction for workers was important as well as ensuring that there were registers for workers and visitors to sign when going in or out of the site.
According to her, this will enable rescue workers to know the number of people inside when a building under construction collapses and offer help on time.
Mr Murtala Aliyu, the President of Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), said that safety and health had become important in corporate world.
Aliyu, who was the chairman of the occasion, said that it had become necessary to educate people on safety measures against fire, collapsed building and attacks.
He said that there was also need to establish relationship with utility managers like electricity and water to enhance safety of buildings.