The Lagos State Safety Commission brings facility managers and safety professionals together to strengthen compliance, emergency preparedness and worker protection

The Lagos State Government has intensified its drive to improve high-rise building safety, bringing facility managers, safety professionals and industry stakeholders together to strengthen compliance and prevent accidents and fatalities across the state’s rapidly expanding built environment.

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The initiative, led by the Lagos State Safety Commission, seeks to promote closer collaboration among key players while improving facility management and protecting workers in residential, commercial and industrial buildings.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum themed “Safe Building, Protected Workforce,” the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Mojola, said safety must be embedded throughout a building’s lifecycle, from design and construction to daily operations and maintenance.

Drawing from his experience in facility management, Mojola expressed concern over the rapid deterioration of some buildings as a result of poor maintenance and insufficient attention to safety standards.

He described buildings as dynamic environments that require continuous monitoring and disciplined management to remain safe for occupants and workers.

“A building is a dynamic, living ecosystem that must be tested every day through operational discipline, routine maintenance, electrical and mechanical inspections, elevator checks, fire safety systems and emergency preparedness,” Mojola said.

He added that every building collapse, fire outbreak and workplace accident should serve as a reminder that safety cannot be treated as an afterthought.

“Safety is the foundation that protects lives, preserves assets and sustains public confidence,” he added.

The commission’s director-general also called for mandatory safety training and certification for facility managers, arguing that professionals responsible for managing buildings must possess adequate safety knowledge and technical competence to minimise workplace risks.

Mojola further stressed the need to protect workers engaged in high-risk activities, including painters, cleaners, rooftop technicians and contractors, through strict adherence to established safety procedures and the appropriate use of protective measures.

Delivering the keynote address, the Technical Adviser to the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Seun Awojobi, said the forum was designed to develop practical solutions for improving construction safety, occupational health and facility management across Lagos.

Awojobi said the government’s responsibility extended beyond regulation, emphasising that every worker should be able to return home safely at the end of each working day.

“As Lagos continues to expand with more skyscrapers, industries and commercial developments, maintaining the highest standards of safety and regulatory compliance has become more critical than ever,” he said.

He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to building a proactive safety culture through regular inspections, stakeholder engagement, capacity building, public enlightenment and strict enforcement of safety regulations.

The forum also highlighted the importance of closer cooperation between facility managers and safety professionals, with experts arguing that effective collaboration is essential to identifying hazards early and reducing risks in workplaces and high-rise structures.

Guest speaker Mr Lekan Akinwumi described collaboration as the cornerstone of workplace safety and urged organisations to integrate occupational safety into their facility management systems rather than treating the two responsibilities as separate functions.

Leaders of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, the Association of Facility Management Practitioners of Nigeria and the International Facility Management Association also urged industry stakeholders to embrace global best practices, maintain professional and ethical standards and comply fully with applicable safety regulations.

The stakeholders further emphasised the importance of emergency preparedness, risk assessment and disaster prevention as Lagos continues to experience rapid urbanisation and an increase in high-rise residential, commercial and industrial developments.

The discussions come amid growing attention to safety within Lagos’ built environment, where dense urban development and increasingly complex structures place greater demands on building owners, facility managers, contractors and regulators.

For the Lagos State Safety Commission, the emphasis is on moving from reactive responses to a more preventive approach, in which potential hazards are identified and addressed before they result in injury, loss of life or damage to property.

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The stakeholders’ forum therefore reinforced a simple but critical message: as Lagos grows vertically and its skyline continues to evolve, high-rise building safety must remain an integral part of development, not an issue addressed only after disaster strikes.