The Ogun State government has shut two firms, Quantum Steel Industry in Ogijo, Sagamu LGA, and Xinfeng Plastics Limited along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for industrial accidents that resulted in fatalities.......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
Quantum Steels was shut down for industrial explosion which resulted in fatalities with some victims still hospitalised while Xinfeng Plastics was equally closed down after a machine operator, Ishaku Monday, lost his life due to electrocution .
DAILY POST reports that the Quantum Steels explosion which happened around 7:00 pm, on Sunday affected seven workers including three expatriates.
The victims, all male are Daniel Bala age 28, Mutiu Olajide, 39, Godwin Solomon, 27, Maduabuchi Onwe, 27, Ajun Kumar, 37, Chandan Kumar, 50 years and 30 year old Rakash Kumar.
Meanwhile the 19-year-old machine operator of Xinfeng Plastics, Ishaku Monday, was operating a palletising machine inside the factory around 7:30 pm on Sunday when he suffered the fatal electric shock.
The victim was rushed to Idera Medical Centre in Sagamu, where the attending doctor confirmed him dead while he was receiving treatment.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, OGEPA, Farook Akintunde, said the government took the decision to shut down the companies in order to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incidents.
Akintunde who doubles as the Chairman of the State Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, lamented that despite regular visits to the companies to educate them on the need to adhere strictly to safety procedures, such incidents still occurred.
He said, “As a government, we are determined to conduct credible and diligent investigations including inviting external safety experts to get to the root cause of this incidents in the overriding public interest and safety.
“What is even painful is that despite state government’s regular visits to these companies just like others statewide to educate them on the need to adhere strictly to safety procedures,such incidents still occurred within their production lines that resulted in fatalities, hence the need to close them down.
Akintunde added the two companies will remain shut until investigations are concluded and new safety protocols are entrenched in the two companies.
He warned other companies in the state to take the safety of workers especially those in the production lines paramount as the state government will not only close down any erring company with such occurrence but will also blacklist them.
In the meantime, the Ogun State Government has equally closed down two other companies, Wemco Nigeria Limited at Magboro along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Beautiful Fibre at Ogere also along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Wemco Nigeria Limited was found guilty of obstructing state officials from performing their official assignment of investigating an erosion dispute between them and their host community.
Also, Beautiful Fibre was found guilty of exposing its workers to hazardous chemicals by not providing them with Personal Protective Equipments.
The chairman of the State Taskforce disclosed that despite several warnings by during routine visits to the companies, they failed to comply with government directives.