Monday, August 03, 2020 / 11:48 AM /By
Ekerete Ola Gam-Ikon / Header Image Credit: BT Com
Public buildings are what we know them to be - places
that are open for public use. However, many of us are unaware of the law that
requires the owners of public places like office blocks, hotels, schools,
hospitals, markets and tourist centres, to take up insurances that will
compensate us in the event of any injuries or deaths that occur to us while
there.
As COVID-19 keeps ravaging and we are making conscious
efforts to reopen the rest of the economy, with our children in exit classes
returning to school this week, it is the right time to consider adding the
insurance of schools and other public buildings to the checklist and
guidelines.
Having noted that abiding by the guidelines of health
authorities during this season remains challenging for many of us, it would
seem appropriate to prepare for those moments of unexpected and unfortunate
events, with insurance.
To be certain, the law on insurance of public
buildings stipulates that members of the public within such premises should be
compensated if they suffer injuries or even die and the cause is traceable to
any defect in the building.
So, while the law may not fully apply to health cases
like the current pandemic, it would help to use this opportunity to consider
the insurances of those public places, specifically schools, as additional
safeguards.
Protecting our Children
The concerns for the protection of our children in
exit classes as they return to school amidst the coronavirus pandemic have
become heightened as the resumption date finally comes. We cannot simply relax
despite the assurances we have been given by the schools and governments at
different levels until we have our children safely back at home, impressive as
the planned arrangements have been.
In 2018, the Federal Government through the Education
Minister had announced insurance packages for students of the 104 Unity Schools
and their assets. This was to ensure that the students would continue their
education if they lost their parents or guardians. It was safe to assume that
the teachers were accordingly insured, and even safer today, to believe that
the insurance policies are still in force.
In like manner, the schools reopening should, at this
critical time, have insurance of the type that will protect the children,
teachers and others within their premises. The anxieties from some unwanted
phone calls about the health of our children or wards at this time can be best
contained, knowing that there are insurance policies in place to address any
emergencies.
Or should parents and guardians be broadly advised to
take up health insurance for their children and wards?
The Value of the
Insurance Law
While most of us often receive information about the
insurance of our lives and assets as solicitation for business by insurance
companies, we forget, and need to be reminded, that it is intended to protect
us from the misdemeanors of others.
Do you know that the plazas, malls and complexes you
walk into either to sell or buy may be exposed to risks of fire, collapse,
flood or even attack while you are there?
Do you know that the insurance policies the law
requires the owners to have are meant to protect you in the event of such
occurrences?
If some of our public buildings are without functional
fire extinguishers or for hydrants, should we expect prompt remedial actions
when the unexpected happens?
In other advanced countries where we have seen and
heard news of these incidents, recoveries and return to normalcy have been
easier because compensations from insurers were prompt and adequate, in line
with the contracts.
When value is delivered by insurers, the relief to the
victims are immeasurable as they are saved from drifting into financial mess.
The converse is the case for those that wait without knowing when compensation
will be paid by insurers.
Taking Personal
Responsibility
The issue of the risks we face at the several public
buildings we enter for whatever reasons should not be left for the law
enforcement authorities and owners of those places; we should indeed take
responsibility to ASK for the status of their insurances.
As you may have discovered, if you are a shop owner or
trader at any public place, the payment of rent only gives you access to the
space, so if any of the risks earlier mentioned crystallizes, you are exposed
to bankruptcy on account of inability to enjoy compensation where there was no
insurance policy in force.
Individuals and business owners that decided to take
responsibility and insisted on seeing the evidence of insurance for those
places were at peace and not agonized when the unexpected occurred.
We can help ourselves pending when the law becomes
fully enforced as same is equally intended to give us value.
Think about it, if the places we enter whether to sell
or buy, including the schools, are fully insured, we will be better positioned
to address the impact of the current health concerns and risks
The good in the guidelines of government should be
strengthened by the calls we make for more secured living through appropriate
insurances.
About The Author
Ekerete Olawoye
Gam-Ikon, MNIM, CPP, is a management consultant with a
specialization in Strategy and Insurance. You can contact him via e:mail olagamola@gmail.com and mobile +234-806-648-1111
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