*Why HSE must become a culture in Nigerian facilities
By Kenny Akintola
There is one question Nigerians are very good at asking after an accident:
“Who is responsible?”
But perhaps there is another question we should start asking much earlier:
“What did we do to prevent it?”
And if the incident could not have been prevented, then we should ask:
“Were we prepared for it?”
The recent violent incident at Filmhouse Cinemas IMAX in Lekki should make every facility manager, property owner, school administrator, security company and business owner pause for a moment.
Reports say a man armed with a machete and knife attacked security personnel at the cinema on August 29. Two people died, including a security officer, while another security officer was injured. The police said investigations were ongoing and CCTV footage was being reviewed. (Newspaper).
It is a tragic incident.
But for those of us involved in facility management, health and safety, security and building operations, it should also be a wake-up call.
Because the question is not only: “How did this happen?”
We should also be asking:
“If something like this happens in our facility today, do our people know what to do?”
That question can be the difference between panic and an organised response.
HSE Should Not Be the File Nobody Opens.
In some organisations, Health, Safety and Environment — HSE — can sometimes become a very beautiful collection of documents.
Safety policy? Check.
Risk assessment? Check.
Emergency procedure? Check.
First-aid box? Somewhere.
Fire extinguisher? Yes, probably.
Training?
“We will organise it next month.”
Then an emergency happens.
Suddenly everybody becomes an emergency-response expert.
“Call 112!”
“Where is the first-aid box?”
“Who knows CPR?”
“Where is the emergency exit?”
“Call the manager!”
And, of course, somebody will always appear with the confidence of a consultant and say: “Don’t worry, I have watched Grey’s Anatomy.”
That is not an emergency-response plan. HSE is not paperwork. HSE is a culture. And that culture must start with prevention.
Prevention Is Better Than Looking for Who to Blame
One of the most important principles of good facility management is preventive action.
We should not wait for somebody to fall before we notice that the staircase has no handrail.
We should not wait for a fire before discovering that the fire exit is blocked.
We should not wait for someone to collapse before asking whether anybody on the premises knows first aid.
We should not wait for a security incident before discovering that the security team has never been trained to respond to one.
Good HSE asks questions before something happens.
Are our security personnel properly trained? Are emergency exits clearly marked?
Are escape routes free from obstruction? Are emergency lights working?
Are fire alarms functional?
Are CCTV cameras working?
Can security personnel identify suspicious behaviour?
Do staff know how to raise an emergency alarm?
Does every shift have somebody trained in first aid?
Does management know the nearest appropriate emergency medical facility?
Who meets the ambulance at the gate? Who controls the crowd?
Who preserves the CCTV footage?
Who communicates with the family?
These are not questions to answer when somebody is already lying on the floor.
They should have been answered months before. That is preventive HSE.
Every Building Needs a First-Aid Box — And Someone Who Knows How to Use It
I strongly believe that appropriate first-aid boxes should be mandatory in public and private buildings, with requirements proportionate to the size and nature of the facility.
But let us be clear: A first-aid box without trained personnel is just a box. It is like having a generator with no diesel.
Technically, it is there. Practically, it is not helping anybody. Every facility should have properly stocked and regularly inspected first-aid kits.
But, more importantly, there should be trained first-aid responders available during operating hours.
Security officers. Receptionists.
Facility managers.
Teachers.
Housekeeping supervisors.
Sports instructors.
Drivers. Office administrators.
At least some people on every shift should know what to do while professional medical help is being arranged.
Because when an emergency happens, the person standing next to the injured individual is unlikely to be a doctor.
It may be the security guard.
It may be the receptionist.
It may be the cleaner.
It may be the teacher.
It may be the facility manager.
And those first few minutes can be extremely important.
Please, Let Us Stop Training Only for Certificates.
There is another HSE culture we need to change.
Training people just so we can produce a certificate during an inspection.
The consultant arrives.
Staff sit down.
PowerPoint comes on.
Everybody listens with one eye on the presenter and the other on their phone.
Attendance sheet goes around.
Pictures are taken.
Certificates are issued.
Refreshments are served.
Everybody goes home.
Training completed.
Six months later: “Sir, what do we do if there is a fire?”
“Madam, I can’t remember.”
That is not training.
HSE training must be practical, continuous and reinforced.
Staff should practise.
They should participate in drills.
They should understand their individual responsibilities.
They should know where emergency equipment is located.
They should know evacuation routes.
They should know who takes charge.
They should know how to raise an alarm.
They should know where to assemble.
And management should periodically test whether the emergency plan actually works.
Because you don’t learn how to respond to an emergency during the emergency.
You practise before it comes.
And Then There Are Emergency Signs. Let us talk about signage.
Nigeria has some very interesting relationships with signs.
You can enter a beautiful building with imported tiles, expensive furniture, marble floors and chandeliers that look like they came straight from Dubai.
Then you need to find the emergency exit. Nothing.
You ask the receptionist: “Please, where is the emergency exit?”
The receptionist looks at you.
You look at the receptionist.
The receptionist looks at the security officer.
The security officer looks at his colleague.
And finally someone says: “I think it is that door over there.”
No. “I think” is not an emergency evacuation strategy.
Emergency exit signs, escape-route signs, fire points, first-aid stations, assembly points and other critical safety information must be clear, visible and properly positioned.
They should be at eye level or otherwise located where occupants can easily see them.
They should not be hidden behind decorations.
They should not be blocked by furniture.
They should not be so small that you need reading glasses from three metres away.
And importantly, emergency signage should remain useful even when normal lighting fails.
People should not have to conduct a treasure hunt during an emergency.
An Emergency Exit Is Not a Store Room. This deserves special attention.
Please stop using emergency exits as storage areas.
Cartons.
Old furniture.
Cleaning equipment.
Building materials.
Files.
Broken chairs.
Sometimes you walk into a facility and wonder whether the emergency corridor has quietly been converted into a warehouse.
Then an emergency comes.
Everybody suddenly wants to use the exit.
And the corridor says: “Sorry, management is currently using me for storage.”
An emergency exit is an emergency exit.
It must remain accessible. Always.
Not when the safety officer is coming.
Not when there is an inspection.
Always.
Schools Must Be at the Front of This Conversation
If HSE training is important in offices, it is even more important in schools.
We are talking about children.
Children fall.
Children choke.
Children cut themselves.
Children faint.
Children have asthma attacks.
Children get injured during sports.
And sometimes serious emergencies occur.
Do teachers know basic first aid?
Does the school have properly stocked first-aid boxes?
Are emergency exits clearly marked?
Are evacuation routes free?
Does every classroom know where to go during an emergency?
Is there a designated assembly point?
Are staff trained?
Are security officers trained?
Have evacuation drills actually been conducted?
These should not be luxury questions.
They are basic safety questions.
And the same standard should apply to cinemas, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, offices, estates, churches, mosques, gyms, factories, hospitals and other public facilities.
Security Training Must Go Beyond “Don’t Let Him Enter”
We also need to rethink what we expect from security personnel.
Security officers are often the first people to confront unusual behaviour or a threat.
Their training should therefore go beyond: “Check his ID.”
They need appropriate training in observation, communication, de-escalation, emergency response, evacuation procedures and basic first aid.
They should understand what to do when confronted with an aggressive or potentially dangerous individual.
They should know when to intervene and when to call for assistance.
They should know how to raise an alarm.
And they should know what to do after an incident.
The brave security personnel who stand between danger and other people deserve more than a uniform, a whistle and a chair at the gate.
They deserve proper training.
Facility Managers: This Is Also Our Responsibility
This is where facility management becomes much bigger than cleaning, security, generators, water and service-charge collection.
Facility management is also about protecting people and protecting assets.
A good facility manager should be constantly asking:
“If something goes wrong here tonight, are we ready?”
Not tomorrow.
Not next month.
Tonight.
That means regular HSE inspections.
Risk assessments.
Preventive maintenance.
Security reviews.
First-aid training.
Fire-safety checks.
Emergency drills.
Visible signage.
Accessible emergency exits.
Incident reporting.
Corrective action.
And follow-up.
If a hazard is identified today, somebody must be responsible for correcting it.
And somebody must confirm that it was actually corrected.
Because writing: “Noted” on an inspection report does not remove a hazard.
The Emergency Plan Must Not Live Inside a File
Every serious facility should have an emergency response plan.
But the plan should not simply sit inside the facility manager’s drawer.
People must know it.
It should identify:
- Who raises the alarm
- Who calls emergency services
- Who administers first aid
- Who controls the crowd
- Who coordinates security
- Who opens emergency access
- Who guides emergency responders into the facility
- Where occupants evacuate to
- Where the assembly point is
- Who communicates with management
- Who documents the incident
- Who preserves CCTV and other evidence
And these procedures should be tested periodically.
Because a beautifully written emergency plan that nobody understands is not a plan.
It is literature.
We Cannot Prevent Every Emergency — But We Can Be Better Prepared
No facility can eliminate every risk.
No amount of security can guarantee that an incident will never occur.
No facility manager can predict every emergency.
But good facility management is not about pretending emergencies will never happen.
It is about reducing the likelihood of incidents and reducing the consequences when they occur.
That is the essence of preventive HSE.
We inspect.
We identify risks.
We correct them.
We train people.
We practise.
We maintain our equipment.
We review our procedures.
And we learn from incidents.
The Cost of Safety Is Always Cheaper Than the Cost of Tragedy
Some property owners will say:
“HSE training is expensive.”
Perhaps.
But so are lawsuits.
So are compensation claims.
So is business interruption.
So is property damage.
So is reputational damage.
And there is one cost that cannot be measured in naira:
The loss of a human life.
A first-aid box may look insignificant.
An emergency exit sign may cost very little.
A training session may seem like another expense.
A fire drill may appear inconvenient.
Preventive maintenance may look like money being spent on something that is still working.
But when the emergency comes, these things can become the most valuable investments in the building.
Let This Incident Be a Lesson, Not Just a Headline
The Lekki cinema incident should not become another Nigerian story that dominates social media for 48 hours and then disappears when another story starts trending.
It should cause every property owner, developer, school administrator, security company, business owner and facility manager to walk through their building and ask:
If something happens here right now, do my people know what to do?
Not:
“Maybe.”
Not:
“I think so.”
Not:
“We have a policy somewhere.”
Do they know?
Can they find the emergency exit?
Can they locate the first-aid box?
Is someone trained to provide immediate assistance?
Can security raise the alarm?
Can staff evacuate?
Are emergency routes clear?
Can emergency responders gain access quickly?
Does management know what happens next?
If the answer to these questions is no, then we have work to do.
Because safety should not be something we remember after the ambulance leaves.
- Kenny Akintola writes from Lagos