Insurance firms urged to consult fire officers before issuing certificates

Madam Roberta Aggrey-Ghanson, Western Regional Fire Safety Officer, has underscored the need for insurance companies to consult fire personnel for expert advice before issuing certificates of safety to clients.

She said since officials of insurance companies were not experts in fire prevention, there was the likelihood that they could issue safety certificates to clients possessing faulty or wrong fire equipment such as fire extinguishers.

The Safety Fire Officer noted that such conditions posed a threat to lives and property as faulty extinguishers could cause disaster, saying that fire personnel looked out for all risk factors.

Madam Aggrey-Ghanson was answering questions at a day’s workshop on “compulsory insurance of commercial buildings” organized by the National Insurance Commission (NIC) for stakeholders in Takoradi.

Mr George Appiah Addae, General Manager in charge of Operation of the Priority Insurance Company Limited and also a member of the NIC, advised companies and entrepreneurs to be conversant with the Workman’s Compensation Act and comply with it in order to avoid unforeseen incidents.

He said it was important for all commercial buildings including those under construction to be insured, warning that any contravention was an offence punishable by law.

Mr Addae encouraged companies and individual entrepreneurs doing similar businesses to form an association and purchase a warehouse to stock their goods as that was safer than parking them haphazardly.

For the sake of their own safety and protection of their buildings, he advised them to submit accurate documents in seeking a building permit.

Mr Isaac Yaw Buabeng, Head of Marketing, Research and External Relations of the NIC, said recent fire outbreaks in institutions had compelled the NIC to intensify its public outreach programme to sensitize stakeholders on the relevance of insurance and the need to strictly comply with all regulations regarding safety and other relevant issues as precautionary measures.