When I heard about Sunday’s fire at Pakistan’s largest shopping mall, I thought to myself ‘another catastrophe?!’, as I couldn’t stop thinking about recent infernos in the city that tore lives apart.
It’s not just me; this is how most dwellers of this city feel, because they are aware of the underequipped malls and inadequate arrangements by the city administration to deal with emergencies.
Luckily, it wasn’t the case this time, thanks to a timely evacuation and a prompt response by Rescue 1122.
But, it could’ve been worse easily. How? The road infrastructure around the mall is relatively better than in other areas of the metropolis, and secondly, it happened on a Sunday.
Minus these two factors, and we would’ve been discussing casualties, gutted shops, and losses to the tune of billions, instead.
So, like any curious reader, I read reports about the cause, and unsurprisingly, it was the same as 90 percent of the times; a violation of electrical safety rules, or in other words, a short circuit.
You have to appreciate the fact that the mall happened to have good ventilation and fire safety setup, although six employees were adversely affected by smoke inhalation.
The question is, how did an electrical fault – which could easily cause a major catastrophe – went unnoticed until it couldn’t be?
It’s another incident that highlights the need to be preemptive, not reactive. I’d not be surprised if I’m told that the last electrical inspection had been carried out a long time ago.
This makes routine checks absolutely necessary, because no matter what you do, there can always be a ‘minor’ reason lurking beneath the surface, waiting for a reason to erupt.
If this prompts you to take preemptive steps for your home, business, or workplace, go for it! If you’re looking for a place to start, a globally certified and skill-tested organization like Grow Safe can be the answer.
In fact, you can spot a potential issue related to health, safety, or environment (HSE) today by having the experts visit you. Once highlighted, a hazard can be immediately fixed, followed by scheduled visits.
Remember, nothing is worth more than the safety of your workforce, loved ones, and primarily, your own. Let this be a strong reminder of what we need to do, without further ado.
Act today!
