Lagos State government has sealed a Chinese firm,Mingy Trading Company Limited, located at No 11, Ila Orangun Street, Ijegun-Egba, Satellite Town.
This incidence led to the visit by the Lagos State Safety Commission.
The Director General of the commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, said the sealing of the firm was an affirmation of the state’s commitment to safety of life and property.
He disclosed that the fatality occurred due to violation of safety precautionary measures because the firm exposed the victim to mechanical and electrical manufacturing equipment without training and provision for personal protective equipment.
According to him, the victim lost his life in the process of operating the equipment.
Apart from that, he said there was also very clear evidence of poor housekeeping, lack of safety signage, poor factory layout for emergency management, very poor recruitment process with no documented training records, poorly installed electric cables and poor record keeping.
Majola stressed that on no account should any company employ an underage to operate a mixer or grinding machine without proper training and use of personal protective equipment.
He reiterated the importance of having a tested electrical wiring system, appropriate safety signages, good housekeeping and a clean environment devoid of infractions and hazards to the lives of its workers.
He implored organisations to value lives above monetary gains, adopt best practices, and a culture of safety should first be individual and collective responsibility.
He declared zero-tolerance to safety violations and warned that punitive measures will be taken against organisations found culpable with assurance that extant safety laws would be applied.
Mojola also urged members of the public to report incidents of infractions to the commission in order to have a safer Lagos for the citizenry.
Speaking on the incident, the manager of the company, Mr. Uchenna Umeanna, said the incident happened when a staff mistakenly put on a generator when the victim was still in the mixing machine.
He stressed that he sustained severe injuries in his body and later died in the hospital.