The Federal Government has inaugurated the Competency Certificate Examination Boards for both the Lifting and Allied Work Equipment Safety Regulations, 2018, and the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Regulations, 2018.
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, while inaugurating the Boards in Abuja, says it was for the effective implementation of both regulations and for the occupational safety and health of workers in workplaces with heavy and hazardous equipment.
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A statement by Deputy director press, Ministry of Labour, Charles Akpan quoted the Minister as saying that putting the Boards in place was a statutory condition precedent to the process of certification and implementation of the provisions of both Regulations.
Keyamo Says the Boards would provide guidance for the examination and registration of heavy and hazardous equipment, as well as for the examination and certification of operators and inspectors of those equipment in workplaces.
According to him, the Boards would provide specific, structured and detailed guidance for the examination and certification of operators and inspectors in the safe design, construction, manufacture, use, operation, installation, maintenance, repair, alteration, testing, inspection, thorough examination and registration of heavy and hazardous equipment within workplaces.
He adds that the Competency Certificate Examination Boards shall ratify the requirement, structure, venue and passing grade of the Competency Certificate Examination.
The Minister further noted that the two regulations were put in place to regulate and curtail the occurrence of accidents, injuries and fatalities in workplaces where lifting equipment and its accessories, and boiler or pressure vessel systems are in use.
He reiterates Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the highest standard of safety and health practices and procedures in workplaces nationwide, and urges the Board members to work at achieving that.
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The Competency Certification Examination Board for Lifting Equipment and Accessories has as chairman, Director, Occupational Safety and Health Department, Lauretta Adogu, and Henry George Umoh, as secretary, both from Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The other members of the Board are representatives of Lifting Equipment Inspectors Association, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Oil Producers Trade Section, Institute of Non-Destructive Testing, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency,NIMASA, and Department of Petroleum Resources,DPR.
The Competency Certification Examination Board for Boiler/Pressure Systems has as chairman, Director, Occupational Safety and Health Department, Lauretta Adogu, and Olaniyi Oderinde, as secretary, both from Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The rest of the membership of the Competency Certification Examination Board for Boiler/Pressure Systems are drawn from National Guild of Boiler Inspectors of Nigeria,NAGOBIN, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Institute of Non-Destructive Testing, Standard Organisation of Nigeria and Department of Petroleum Resources.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
