Transparency and Integrity

2/14/2022

Reps Issue 7 Day Ultimatum To Oando, Others.

 




The House of Representatives’ Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations, Concludes Assessment Tour, Issues Seven-day Ultimatum To 20 Companies. 



The House of Representatives’ Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations has issued a seven-day ultimatum to 20 companies involved in manufacturing, construction, tank farms and logistic operations in the petroleum sector to forward relevant documents on their health, safety and environment policies.


The Chairman of the committee, Ibrahim Hamza, issued the ultimatum at the end of a four-day oversight tour and on-the-spot-assessment of some companies’ facilities in Port Harcourt, River State.


Some of the companies visited were Intels, Brawal Shipping Nigeria Ltd, Notore Chemicals Industries Plc, Oando Plc, West African Container Terminal, Tonimas, M-I Nigeria Ltd, Julius Berger, Total Energies, Indorama PetroChemical Ltd, Sahara Energy, Schlumberger Nigeria Ltd, and Aos Orwell Ltd operating at Onne and Port Harcourt.


The lawmakers decried the spate of fire incidents at oil and gas facilities in some parts of the country, stressing the need for employers in the public and private sector to strictly adhere to the extant HSE regulations, with a view to secure lives of Nigerian workers and expatriates as well as investments.


Hamza said, “As you can see, in the last 96 hours, we had exhaustive and intensive advocacy tour around over 20 companies in and around River State; manufacturing companies, construction companies, oil and gas industries. We saw a lot.


“What we are actually doing is to do an on-the-spot assessment and on-the-spot analysis of what is actually happening in the industry as regards to health and safety issues and we saw a lot.


“When we get back to our destination, we are going to have a desktop review of what we have seen and to analyse it and see how we can come up with laws or make amendments to existing laws to make sure that there is efficiency in the provision of health and safety in our working environment.”


The chairman also stressed the need for employers of labour to introduce and enforce policies against bullying and sexual harassment at workplace. “The bullying policy is encompassing in the health and safety management systems. So, I’m sure that once these policies are being enhanced, all these things will be taken care of,” he stated.


Hamza, therefore, directed all the companies to transmit the health and safety documents in line with the 84 checklist compiled by the committee within the next seven days for further legislative scrutiny.


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