No fewer than 34 electricity workers lost their lives in the line of duty between April and June this year, a report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has said.
According to the report, 17 others sustained injuries in the 64 accidents recorded during the period.
According to the report, the commission, pursuant to Section 34(1)(e) of the Electricity Act 2023 which mandates the commission to ensure the provision of safe and reliable electricity to consumers, said it monitored the health and safety performance of the industry.
The NERC said licensees are mandated to submit monthly health and safety reports to the commission in accordance with the requirements of their licence.
In 2024/Q2, out of the 99 mandatory health and safety reports expected to be received from licensees, only 91 reports were received by the commission which promised to enforce 100 per cent reporting compliance by licensees and apply sanctions where applicable.
Relative to 2024/Q1, the number of accidents increased by 14.55 per cent from 55 to 63.
“The number of fatalities increased by +47.83 per cent (23 to 34) but the number of injuries decreased by -45.16 per cent (31 to 17),” the report disclosed.
According to the commission, during the quarter, no casualty was recorded among the power-generation companies while NESCO and Yola were the only Discos that did not record casualties.
Out of the 51 casualties reported in the quarter, the licensees with the highest number of casualties were Ibadan (13), Eko (8), Jos (7), and Enugu (6) which represented 25.49 per cent, 15.69 per cent, 13.73 per cent and 11.76 per cent respectively.
“As observed in previous quarters, Discos continue to account for the majority of the safety challenges experienced in NESI. Cumulatively, they accounted for 100 per cent of causalities recorded in 2024/Q2 having accounted for 98.48 per cent and 96.30 per cent in 2023/Q4 and 2024/Q1 respectively.
Furthermore, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (23), Ibadan (2), and Eko (1) recorded damage to property/infrastructure due to explosions, fire outbreaks or acts of vandalism in the period.
The breakdown of the causes of causalities arising from the accident showed there were eight casualties from wire snaps, 11 from illegal/unauthorised access, four from vandalism, and 10 from unsafe acts/conditions.
The commission said it has initiated investigations into all reported accidents and will enforce appropriate actions against licensees where necessary.
“Furthermore, the commission continues to closely monitor the implementation of licensees’ accident reduction strategy for the NESI. The commission also implements various programs aimed at improving the health and safety performance of the NESI,” it was stated.
In June 2024, the biannual Health and Safety Manager’s Meeting was held with compliance and regulatory officers of licensees to discuss the reporting obligations of licensees as well as health and safety matters.
During the meeting, licensees’ scorecards on compliance with health and safety standards, forum office decisions, and key performance indicators were discussed while highlighting areas of improvement.
The NERC vowed to ensure that all licensees comply with the subsisting performance standards in the NESI.
In addition, the commission noted that it was overseeing settlement processes between licensees and families of accident victims in the industry to ensure transparency of the settlement process and to help the victim’s family secure fair compensation for losses suffered.
“In 2024/Q2, the commission oversaw the successful conclusion of three compensation negotiations between licensees and families of victims of accidents,” the report read.
By Dare Olawin @PUNCH
