FRSC Commends Dangote For Adopting, Implementing Road Safety Standards

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Dauda Biu, has commended Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) for the adoption and implementing safety standards in the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS) in the company’s operations.

Biu stated this in Abuja when he hosted a team from the Dangote Cement Plc, Transport Division.

According to him, the significant reduction in crashes was made possible through the collaboration with his agency and the implementation of some mutually agreed safety standards by the company.

“The commendation is an outcome of several strategies executed by the company to ensure Dangote truck drivers adhere strictly to safety standards as prescribed by the FRSC across the country,” he said.

The Road Safety boss said: “notable among this is the reduction of road traffic crashes involving Dangote Transport Trucks through the implementation of minimum safety standards in the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS).”

Biu said that, in order to effectively achieve this success, the FRSC collaborated with the Technical Committee comprising the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), and the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) on speed limiting device implementation in Nigeria.

He said the establishment of an Outpost at Dangote Cement Plant, Obajana has contributed tremendously to the reduction of road traffic crashes along the ever-busy Obajana – Kabba road in Kogi State.

Other areas of collaboration with the company, he said, include the establishment of standard and functional driving schools, collaboration in conducting professional Road Assessments (Road Safety Audit) for issues of safety concerns on the roads, as well as a partnership on the Dangote Drivers’ Training Centre (Driving Range).

Speaking on various efforts by the company geared towards the reduction of accidents involving Dangote Trucks, Dangote Cement Group head, Transport, Health, Safety & Environment Nigeria & Pan Africa, Mrs. Ebere Okonkwo stated that, the company adopted several strategies to ensure compliance with Nigeria road safety standards.

She listed the strategies to include: improvement of drivers’ and journey managers’ competence in both HSE and job skills in order to achieve line ownership of safety and safe delivery.

Okonkwo added that, “plans were put in place to improve our maintenance management. Actions were developed to improve and embed an effective journey management system with a focus on supervision. We introduced compliance monitoring and reporting such as performing check-ins on drivers while on trips, random alcohol, and drugs tests, among others.”

He noted that the HSE team embarked on HSSE competence development training for all staff across categories to improve their competence on safety and their influence/supervision skills to the frontline workers (drivers).