Following the collapse of a three-storey structure at the Roman Ridge Engineering Centre in Accra on Tuesday, a safety expert has warned against the culture of secrecy surrounding such incidents, arguing it is costing lives and resources.
The building, reportedly under construction by Fabrico Builders and situated between a high-rise apartment and the Ghana Institute of Engineering, crumbled in the afternoon.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) responded swiftly to a distress call at 12:18 p.m., with a rescue team arriving on site by 12:29 p.m.
Fortunately, all 14 affected individuals, all men, had already been rescued and taken to the 37 Military and Ridge hospitals for treatment.
In the aftermath, Sampson Worlanyo Deklu, an agent of the Built Environment at the Bureau of Public Safety, voiced his frustration.
While acknowledging that building collapses cannot be eliminated from the built environment, he lamented that authorities consistently fail to publicise investigation findings.
“It seems like we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over because if reports are conducted and results are shared, experts will learn from them,” Deklu stated.
He emphasized that without this crucial transparency, the sector is deprived of valuable lessons that could prevent future tragedies, whether they stem from negligence or faulty materials.
“If we keep sweeping these incidents under the carpet,” he warned, “we’ll continue to see lives and resources wasted.”
