An agent of the Built Environment at the Bureau of Public Safety, Sampson Worlanyo Deklu, has expressed concern over Ghana’s recurring cases of building collapses, describing them as a reflection of weak enforcement and poor learning from past incidents.
Speaking to Joy News following Tuesday’s collapse of a three-storey structure at the Roman Ridge Engineering Centre in Accra, Mr Deklu said the country’s failure to publish and act on investigation reports from previous collapses has allowed negligence and substandard practices to persist in the construction sector.
“The issues of building collapse cannot be taken out totally from the built environment. There might be issues of negligence or materials, but each case is different,” he explained.
He lamented that over the years, authorities have not made public the findings of such investigations, depriving professionals in the sector of valuable lessons that could prevent future incidents.
“It seems like we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again because if reports are conducted and results are shared, experts will learn from them. We need to be conscious as a country to ensure these things don’t frequently happen,” he added.
The collapse, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon, involved a structure reportedly being undertaken by Fabrico Builders. It happened between a ten-storey high-rise apartment and the Ghana Institute of Engineering at Roman Ridge.
According to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), a distress call was received at 12:18 p.m., and a rescue team led by ADO II Ankrah from the National Headquarters arrived at 12:29 p.m.
By the time the team got to the scene, all 14 affected persons — all men — had been rescued and transported to the 37 Military Hospital and Ridge Hospital for medical attention.
Authorities say investigations are underway to determine the cause of the collapse. However, experts like Mr. Deklu are urging that this time, the findings be made public to prevent a recurrence.
“If we keep sweeping these incidents under the carpet, we’ll continue to see lives and resources wasted,” he warned.