Addressing the Building Collapse Problem in Nigeria: Exploring the Builder’s Potentials, the Builders’ Liability Insurance Option and the Health and Safety Management Plan

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide a framework for solving the building collapse problem in Nigeria via the Builders Liability Insurance and the Health and Safety Management Plan. It also explores the utility of the latent potentials of the professional builder which has remained largely untapped and the novel regime of building insurance to address the ugly phenomenon. The paper draws from existing literature, provisions of the insurance statute and hands-on experience to provide a better understanding of the building collapse phenomenon. The paper contends that the building profession has evolved to become part of an intricate mesh of skills and strengths which confers on him the responsibility for managing the construction process and solving the multifarious construction problems including building collapse. The paper distinctively considers section 64 of the National Insurance Act 2003 (the builders’ liability insurance) which provides that certain categories of buildings must be compulsorily insured against collapse and associated hazards as a proactive legislation with great potentials for checking the frequent collapse of buildings under construction. It is recommended that Builders’ Liability Insurance and the Health and Safety Management plan be compulsorily made part of approval documents required by the planning authorities before embarking on any building construction project in Nigeria. This will help in the area of enforcement and reduce the influx of quacks and high casualty rate resulting from building collapse in Nigeria.

Keywords: Builder, Building Collapse, Builders Liability Insurance, Health and Safety Management Plan, Nigeria