8 policy steps the Government can easily implement to prevent market fires

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  1. Re-evaluate the law establishing the fire service commission. Giving them more responsibilities on the inspection of public places like markets and other places.
  2. All stores/shops in the market should have a class C fire extinguisher. This should be a standard for all stores.
  3. All buildings in the market should have industrial fire extinguishers.
  4. Customised HSE codes for the market should be drafted and passed into law.
  5. Intensive HSE safety training should happen in all the markets and on a regular basis, maybe yearly.
  6. All monitoring of compliance should be done by the fire service commission with penalties in place to serve as a deterrent with a special task force.
  7. Training and compliance should also be coordinated through the market leaders.
  8. The government should regulate and licence the companies importing the fire extinguishers to ensure standard and quality has maintained.
  9. This video of how the fire started shows clearly that this could be avoided if there were adequate fire extinguishers and people with knowledge to handle it.

The cost of the fires can’t be compared to the prevention cost. I hope all state governments can take this and run with it.

Written by: Seyi Ojeleye, Chief Executive Officer at PetKrib