As NEMSA Takes Discos to Task
Chineme Okafor writes on the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency’s nationwide assessment of the quality of materials used by electricity distribution companies, in view of the upsurge in electrical accidents in the country
Reports on network- related electrical accidents and other electricity induced accidents either at home or work places have indicated that electrical accidents are products of poor equipment installation at the networks or homes; poor equipment maintenance; and acts of negligence or outright disregard for standard safety procedures.
From these reports, industry operators have also stated that there are usually three main types of electrical accidents which contribute immensely to the number of deaths that are recorded annually.
One main type of electrical accident is the electric shock, which occurs when an extremity such as a finger, hand, or arm is placed across an electric current and the body being a good conductor of electricity takes in electric current that shocks and causes respiratory or heart failure.
The second type is the electrical burn, which occurs when severe electric shock causes body tissues to burn either externally or internally.
Finally, there is also the case of electrical fires, which could arise from the ignition of flammable materials by electric current.
Additionally, fires from electricity are reportedly very dangerous, considering that they cannot be easily or casually put out without professional supports because putting them out with water may expose a person to a higher risk of electric shock and death.
Incidences of electrical accidents Nigeria’s electricity sector is reported to have recorded more deaths in the last four years due to a number of reasons.
These include: age-long poor operational practices and realities that include old wiring and installations; electric cords that loosely run above and over streets; flammable materials left near exposed electrical wiring at homes and workplaces.
Others include; loose connectors; substandard wiring; and the seeming lack of or deployment of preventive devices such as ground fault circuit interrupters which monitors and shuts off electric current in the event that electricity flow fluctuates,
According to the recent records of the sector’s regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), about 655 people have been involved in electrical accidents within the last four years in the country.
Out of this number, 349 people were reported dead and the remaining 306 sustained various degrees of injuries.
From the records, which NERC’s Head of Engineering Standard and Safety Division, Abdullahi Mohammed read out at a recent health and safety meeting of safety officers in the sector, the rate of electrical accidents in the industry had from 2011 increased thus, demanding some level of improved efforts to cut it down to a minimal level.
The NERC’s statistics showed that in 2011, about 73 deaths and 64 injuries were recorded, while 72 people died and 34 were injured in 2012.
The rate also showed a marginal increase in the death figures to 82 in 2013, while 107 people sustained injuries from various electrical accidents that were reported within the period.
In 2014, the sector according to NERC, also recorded 50 injuries and 73 deaths, while 49 deaths and 51 injuries were witnessed in the sector between January and June in 2015.
The 2015 figures however did not include the two more deaths that were recently recorded in Lagos between August and September of this year.
“We cannot continue like this, killing people in many families is not acceptable. We assure that we will implement the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Code to the later. This is the essence of this second quarter meeting,” Mohammed had said at the meeting, where industry-wide safety code was presented to operators in the sector. Varied reactions Even with a record 349 deaths that the sector had in five years, operators and government collectively seemed to have lacked material responses to the development until two very discerning accidents that involved two young ladies occurred in Lagos, thus highlighting the sector’s unceasing proneness to accidents.
From the reports of a government investigation conducted by the NEMSA on the death by electrocution of a 300-level student of the University of Lagos, Oluchi Anekwe, the country’s electricity Discos were reportedly indicted of embracing poor operational practices, which contribute to the alarming rates of electrical accidents in the country.
According to the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation and Managing Director of NEMSA, Mr. Peter Ewesor, who led the investigation, the electricity Discos have in addition to adopting negligent approaches in operating the distribution assets within their networks, they have overtime deployed substandard equipment and materials in their networks, while at the same time responded poorly to inherent problems in their networks.
Ewesor cited the UNILAG incident where live electrical wire was reported to have been carelessly left hanging by the Discos, which serves the university and from which Anekwe was electrocuted to death.
Similar occurrence was equally reported of a 15-year-old pupil, Afusat Musa, who was electrocuted to death in a mosque on Ishaga Road, Idi-Araba in Lagos weeks after the death of Anekwe.
Ewesor had while inspecting distribution facilities within the Kano metropolis told THISDAY that NEMSA was displeased with the development.
He also restated NEMSA’s determination to curb the increasing rate of accidents by pushing operators through its establishing laws, to imbibe standard operational practices in the sector.
During the inspection, Kano Disco was found to have had several cases of poor installations which NEMSA found harmful to electricity users.
Some of the glaring cases include: low hanging electrical lines on the busy stretch of Club and Bompai Roads in the centre of the metropolis. This is more than a challenge to NEMSA because it is a disturbing and alarming trend that we want to check and that is the reason why we have embarked on this exercise to as much as possible get our field men to ensure that these negligence can be mitigated. These are avoidable accidents, we are pointing them out to the Discos, we are telling the Discos our position on these issues because there are enforcement actions that would come with their negligence. We want them to change, otherwise they will continue to lose their men and also kill members of the public,” Ewesor explained.
While indicating that accidents in the sector was widespread but minimally reported by the Discos, Ewesor said that “what happened in Eko Disco is actually not different from other Discos across the country; the only difference is that that of Eko happened in an enlightened environment and even to somebody that attracted a lot of attention.”
“We had similar occurrence around the Oshodi area of Lagos as it happened in Eko and what this connote is that we are stepping up our enforcement of standards so that the Discos will have to appreciate the need for them to change their negligent attitudes. Why would a Disco refuse to attend to reported cases of faulty installations or equipment? These are the things that have happened over periods of time in the sector. We were lucky that it happened only to Oluchi but we now want to use that as a springboard despite how unfortunate it is, to get the Discos to sit up and become responsive,” he added.
Speaking further on the outcome the UNILAG investigation, Ewesor had also said in Lagos that the incident and the death had made it imperative to sensitise the Discos and the public on safe distribution and use of electricity in the country.
“Undoubtedly, the two promising young girls lost their lives on account of electrocution from bad networks and unprofessional practices in the industry.
From records available, the electrocution occurred as a result of poor state of the distribution companies’ network and negligence on the part of the distribution company in charge of the areas, where the incidents occurred. This spate of electrical accidents and electrocutions leading to unwarranted loss of lives and property as well as down time of the supply to consumers nationwide is unacceptable, condemnable and reproachable,” Ewesor had said.
He further explained that NEMSA will during the nationwide inspection of Discos’ facilities, demand that electricity be safely distributed to consumers across board with minimal accidents, adding that Discos who fail to imbibe standard operational practices will be made to account for their negligence, going forward.
Undoubtedly, the two promising young girls lost their lives on account of electrocution from bad networks and unprofessional practices in the industry