Lagos State Safety Commission said it has sanctioned Julius Berger Nigeria Plc over Olalekan Oloruntoba, a construction engineer, who died while operating a crane at an Ijora Yard facility.
The commission’s investigation report, according to PUNCH, showed that a container fell on Mr Oloruntoba on September 23, 2024, which led to his death.
The newspaper said that although details of the sanctions were not disclosed on Wednesday, the commission’s CEO Lanre Mojola, through the spokesperson, Adewunmi Okoh, revealed that the construction firm was instructed to fulfil certain regulatory requirements following Oloruntoba’s death.
Oloruntoba, according to the report, was overseeing the unloading of a 40-foot freight container when the “contents that were being offloaded with a forklift truck shifted as they came out of the container, causing them to topple from the forklift and strike the engineer.”
It was gathered that the deceased worked for Julius Berger during his undergraduate years and was later employed as a staff member after completing his National Youth Service Corps programme.
The report revealed that the commission directed Julius Berger to provide additional training for its staff members and to review and update the company’s risk assessment procedures to prevent similar incidents at construction sites in the future.
It stated, “Julius Berger was mandated to conduct a comprehensive review of their risk assessment analysis. The job hazard analysis will also undergo a thorough evaluation, along with work procedures related to loading and offloading activities.
“A training programme will be implemented for all Julius Berger staff, particularly those involved in the loading and offloading activities, to reinforce safety protocols and practices.”
“In view of the above, Julius Berger was sanctioned and investigated to prevent a recurrence,” the report added.
