A Building collapse occurs when building structures collapse either partially or completely. Sadly, buildings collapsing have become quite frequent in lagos in the last few years ; reports from Lagos state emergency agency LASEMA say 24 buildings have collapsed in Lagos this year with death tolls that don’t look pretty. In contrast Accra the capital of Ghana has recorded just 8 in 16 years!.
As an emergency management company in Lagos, ERA also specializes in services that can prevent such accidents from happening in the first place. We also offer training to help reduce fatalities if they do.
Reasons for building collapse in Lagos
Most building collapses in Lagos occur with taller buildings
There are several reasons for building collapse in Lagos but these are the most glaring
- substandard professionals
- Use of low quality building materials
- Lack of monitoring systems
- Underfunding of regulatory agencies
- Little or no penalties for professionals involved in collapsed buildings.
Construction companies are touted as the main cause for buildings collapsing in Lagos but government regulations will go a long way to prevent professional standards from being flouted. House owners can also take a further step and ensure hazard assessments are taken by a competent emergency body to prevent future building collapse in Lagos state.
How to escape from a building collapse.
It’s difficult but not impossible to survive a building collapse. Below are small steps you can take to increase your chances of survival.
How you can survive a building collapse
1 Cover your head
A loose heavy object landing on your head could be fatal. It’s important you place a solid cover above your head while moving through a collapsed building. This ensures protection for the head against any loose hanging objects.
2. Cover your nose and mouth
Inhaling dust from crumbled structures is fatal to your health. Keep your nose covered with your elbows or a cloth if one is available.
3. Conserve your energy:
Unless rescuers are nearby avoid shouting or screaming. Instead try remaining calm and conserve energy.
4. Take staircases instead of Elevators
Building collapse in Lagos occurs mostly in high rise buildings sprouting around Lagos. These high rise buildings contain elevators for the convenience of the occupants. During a collapse, these boxes suspended by cables are prone to malfunction; rails might buckle or brakes might suddenly engage. Even in a partially collapsed building, avoid any elevators.
5. Call an Emergency number
A building collapse in Lagos is no joke and if you are in one call an expert immediately if you can.
Lagos state emergency services are best positioned to extract survivors from a collapsed building, while services like Emergency response Africa have an efficient ambulance service that offers a speedy response time to deliver medical treatment ( this makes all the difference in an emergency). It’s best to save our contact information before an emergency happens so you can reach us quicker.
Fatalities from building collapses in Lagos can be reduced with ERA
The seven storey building collapse in Lagos this year still haunts the minds and calls for foresight to prevent buildings collapsing in Lagos.
Are you a construction company in Lagos, a concerned house owner or a resident worried about buildings collapsing in Lagos?
ERA can help reduce your worries through the following proactive offerings to help prevent a building collapse
- Hazard Assessment: detect threats before their claim lives with our risk evaluation service and get the detailed solutions you need to avoid them.
- Emergency plan: Reduce fatalities on construction sites by 50 percent with our emergency plans for construction companies. Find out more.
At ERA our goal remains reducing the amount of preventable deaths. We offer a wide range of services you can use to help prevent a building collapse in Lagos or reduce fatalities if it occurs. Check them now.
