LASG adopts stricter safety standards for high-rise buildings

The Lagos State Government is intensifying efforts to enhance safety in high-rise buildings, urging facility managers, developers, and safety professionals to embed safety considerations from the initial design phase through to operations and maintenance. This initiative aims to reduce workplace accidents and structural risks within the state's rapidly growing built environment.

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Every failure, fire outbreak or avoidable workplace incident we witness across our mega cities is a stark reminder that safety cannot be treated as an afterthought or a quick tick-box exercise.

During a stakeholders' forum organized by the Lagos State Safety Commission, titled “Safe Building, Protected Workforce,” industry regulators and professionals convened to explore strategies for improving safety standards. The event stressed the importance of integrating facility management and safety planning early in the design process, rather than treating safety as an afterthought. Lanre Mojola, Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, warned that poor maintenance and weak operational systems often lead to the rapid deterioration of newly constructed buildings.

Mojola emphasized that safety is a fundamental operational framework crucial for protecting lives, preserving asset value, and maintaining public trust. He described buildings as dynamic ecosystems requiring continuous monitoring through regular maintenance, inspections of electrical and mechanical systems, fire safety assessments, and checks on critical infrastructure like elevators. He also advocated for mandatory safety training and certification for facility managers, aligning with global best practices that link facility management, workplace safety, and security.

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It is the core operational framework that protects lives, preserves asset value and maintains public trust.

Seun Awojobi, Technical Adviser to the Lagos State Safety Commission, stated that the forum aimed to develop practical solutions for strengthening construction safety, facility management, and occupational health across Lagos. The rapid urbanization and increasing number of high-rise developments and industrial expansions in the state underscore the urgency of these measures, particularly for protecting workers engaged in high-risk activities such as painting, cleaning, and working on rooftops and scaffolding.

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When we speak of a protected workforce, we are looking at how to ensure that the crews on the roof, the painters on the scaffold, the cleaners and third-party contractors executing high-risk tasks are safe… and guarded from injuries, accidents and fatalities.