WARRI – The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), Nigeria Chapter, has called on Nigerians to always see safety issues as serious business saying that, the average Nigerian thinks safety and security was the business of oil and gas workers, this non- challant attitude he said, has resulted in a lot of avoidable deaths and injuries in the country.
President of ASSE, Nigeria Chapter, Herbert Nwaka stated this while speaking to newsmen at the weekend during the society’s bi-monthly General Meeting which held at the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, Warri, Delta State.
According to Nwaka , it was disheartening to notice that the average Nigerian man does not take safety issues seriously, adding that safety was only visible in the oil and gas industry,this he said, was not good enough for Nigeria.
He maintained that it was high time safety issues were taken seriously in the country because people encounter safety in their everyday life, stressing that Nigerians have to start practicing safety from their homes and also train their children and families on the need to be safety conscious all the time.
He said, “I just came back from the Global World Safety Summit where all the world safety leaders met in Chicago two months ago and it was an eye-opener and fulfilling. From that gathering, I discovered that, we are just beginners when it comes to practice of safety. In Nigeria , safety is only practiced in the oil and gas industry and we have we have not achieved even 65%.
“There is safety in the home, the hospitals, law firms and everywhere. We have a lot of jobs in our hands. We have to make people understand that safety is not all about oil and gas. You need to start the practice of safety from your homes. You have to teach your children about safety. I will say that Nigeria has a long way to go when it come to safety.”
He added, “The theme of this year’s message is that we all need to go back home safe and healthy especially this period that comes with a lot of rush, anxieties and activities. So our message as safety professionals to Nigerians is to take it easy. If you cannot achieve your aim this year there is many more Christmas celebrations to come. While you are driving you need to make sure that you drive safely for yourself, your family and the nation.”
On enforcement of installation of speed limit devices for commercial vehicles, Nwaka said ASSE is working closely with the Federal Road Safety Corps Marshal and they have mandated them to enforce the installation of speed limit devices in commercial vehicles to ensure that safety is maintained during the ember months.
An ex-officio member of ASSE, Mr. Dickson Amromawhe who delivered a paper titled “Safety And Security In The Ember Months And Beyond”, harped on good neighborliness .
According to Amromawhe, living in isolation from our neighbors was not the best. He said such behaviors, could work against one’s safety and security.
He called on the general public to see safety and security issues as personal and take it seriously
“The truth is this…no one person or persons can protect you more than you can protect yourself.” He said.
ASSE, who delivered a paper titled “Safety and Security In The Ember Months and Beyond” called on Nigerians to take their personal safety serious, saying that no man can take care of his security other than himself.