Lagos sanctions Julius Berger after engineer’s death at site

Following its investigation into the death of Olalekan Oloruntoba, a construction engineer who tragically passed away while operating a crane at an Ijora Yard facility, the Lagos State Safety Commission said it had sanctioned Julius Berger Nigeria Plc about the incident, PUNCH Metro has learnt exclusively.

While eyewitnesses initially told our correspondent that Oloruntoba, an engineer at Julius Berger Nigeria, died when a loaded crane he was operating collapsed on him on September 23, 2024, the Lagos State Safety Commission’s investigation report, provided to PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, revealed that the cause of the incident was the impact of the contents of a container.

The safety commission had informed our correspondent that an investigation had begun into the incident after PUNCH Metro reached out to the agency when news and photos of the deceased surfaced in late September, showing Oloruntoba lying lifeless, his face and head covered in blood.

Although the specific details of the sanctions were not disclosed to our correspondent on Wednesday, the commission’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Lanre Mojola, through the Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Adewunmi Okoh, revealed that the construction firm had been instructed to fulfil certain regulatory requirements following Oloruntoba’s death.

The report stated that the deceased “received serious injuries from which he did not recover.”

Oloruntoba, according to the report, was overseeing the unloading of a 40-foot freight container when the “contents that were being offloaded with a forklift truck shifted as they came out of the container, causing them to topple from the forklift and strike the engineer.

“Immediate actions were taken following the incident. The local authorities were notified, and the relevant details were reported to the police on the same day. Additionally, the National Social Insurance Trust Fund has been informed by regulatory requirements.”

The report revealed that the commission directed Julius Berger to provide additional training for its staff members and to review and update the company’s risk assessment procedures to prevent similar incidents at construction sites in the future.

It stated, “Julius Berger was mandated to conduct a comprehensive review of their risk assessment analysis. The job hazard analysis will also undergo a thorough evaluation, along with work procedures related to loading and offloading activities.

“A training programme will be implemented for all Julius Berger staff, particularly those involved in the loading and offloading activities, to reinforce safety protocols and practices.

“In view of the above, Julius Berger was sanctioned and investigated to prevent a recurrence,” the report stated.

Our correspondent’s findings, however, revealed that the deceased had worked for Julius Berger during his undergraduate years and was later employed as a staff member after completing his mandatory National Youth Service Corps.

Friends and colleagues flooded social media to mourn Oloruntoba, with Adeyemi Adetoyese describing him as a passionate and “vibrant professional.”

“It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dear brother and vibrant civil engineering professional.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends. May we have the fortitude to bear your loss. Good night, Lekan Oloriebi. We love you, but Jesus loves you more.

“We had plans to carry out together, which formed the basis of our discussion on Sunday, but you departed from this world yesterday,” he wrote.

Another associate, Sani Abubakar, lamented, “I’m still reeling from the news of his passing. We regularly discussed his professional aspirations, including his plans to apply for a top-up programme. He was intensely passionate about professional growth.”

A similar workplace incident occurred in the state on August 8, 2024, when a contract worker died after jumping into an iron melting pot at his company around 3:15 p.m. on August 3.

Following an investigation, the commission determined that the personal protective equipment provided to the factory workers was inadequate and concluded that the incident was a case of suicide.