…Tasks on proper handling of chemicals

Lagos State government on Wednesday, implored chemical handlers to be safety conscious by complying with rules on safety because 98 per cents of accidents and disaster that occurred are due to human errors.

 

Speaking at the Chemical handlers’ stakeholders workshop by Lagos state Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu has said that Lagos State government remains committed to supporting chemical handlers with the right policies to promote safety in their workplace as improper handling of chemicals pose serious risk to human health, the environment and the public safety.

 

Represented by Munsurat Banire, Akodu stated that “We all know that chemicals are essential to our industries, agriculture, health care and daily living. However, improper handling of chemicals poses serious risk to human health, the environment and the public safety. That is why this workshop is timely.

 

“It provides an opportunity to update your knowledge, share best practices and remind ourselves of our responsibilities as handlers. On behalf of the government, I urge you to take this training seriously and to strictly adhere to Lacepa’s rule and regulations on chemical storage, transportation usage and waste disposal. Compliance is not just about avoiding penalties. It is about protecting lives, protecting our environment, and protecting the future of Lagos State. Lagos State government remains committed to supporting you with these right policies.

 

Similarly, in his address, the General Manager of LASEPA, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, stated that the bedrock of life is chemical, “as everything we do is chemical has some element of chemical including food. So we cannot do without chemical. Thus the safety of chemical is very important to life.”

 

Ajayi therefore told chemical handlers that their sector is one of the biggest priorities of his agency, LASEPA. “We understand the work and challenges you have.So chemical handlers are such an important core of not just the manufacturing ecosystem. It affects everybody.”

 

He stated that LASEPA organized the workshop to improve self compliance. “We regulate them as far as the handling of chemicals and the appropriateness or appropriate use, storage and the way it should be distributed in Lagos.

 

A safety expert, Mr. Adeyinka Adebiyi, who spoke on Occupational safety and best practices in chemical warehousing, told the participants that if they failed to follow the rules around safety, accident will occur and most accidents are preventable because only two per cent of accidents can be attributed to the act of God.

 

He said “10 per cent of accident is due to unsafe conditions, unsafe act is responsible for 88 per cent of accidents while only two per cent of accident is caused by an act of God, which are natural disasters such as earthquake, tremor and flood among others.”

 

He added that some of the natural disasters are stimulated by not complying with safety rules.

 

In his presentation, Executive Director of BCCC Africa, Nigeria, Prof Gilbert Adie, underscored the importance of labeling to preventing accidents. “Labels on containers of hazardous chemicals provide the first alert that chemical is hazardous and should provide basic information.”