Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), today, 29th March, 2020, distributed personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, to its sweepers and PSP operators across the state to protect them from infection in the course of their duties.
Items distributed included hand sanitizers, liquid soap, safety goggle, rubber work gloves, and re-useable nose masks, among others.
Speaking at the presentation of the materials at LAWMA Headquarters, Ijora, the Managing Director, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, noted that the move was in compliance with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s directive that all necessary steps be taken to arrest the further spread of corona virus.
He said that the over four thousand PSP employees and fifteen thousand street sweepers must be adequately protected because of the hazardous nature of their public sanitation service which may expose them to infection by the corona virus.
According to him, “We are kitting our sweepers and PSP operators as we have always done, in line with the directive of the incident commander, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who has repeatedly stressed, that all precautionary measures must be taken, to curb the spread of corona virus”
“We have more over fifteen thousand sweepers and four thousand waste handlers working with private PSP operators, and they all must be adequately and properly protected from infection. Our move is also in line with the instructions of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that all preventive measures must be taken”, he added.
Speaking further, he said: “These PPE kits will protect their mouth, nose and eyes from possible infection from the waste they handle”.
Dr. Gbadegesin said the sweepers and PSP operators must keep working throughout the stay-at-home period since they are essential workers and the city must be kept clean during the pandemic. He added that additional measures that will be taken including sanitization and disinfection of LAWMA operational depots, dumpsites, transfer loading stations and waste bin locations across the state.
In his remarks, the president, Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria and chairman of Lagos State chapter, Mr. David Oriyomi, thanked LAWMA and the state government for the protective items, promising that they would be put to good use, while also urging other states to emulate the Lagos example.
