There are many items we use every day, but without knowing how they are made safe to use.
We enter buildings without looking at their foundations. We walk across bridges without looking at their structure. And even consume medicines without analyzing their ingredients.
All these are made possible by the fact that society runs on trust.
The case of a building highlights this aspect clearly. When we enter a building, we trust that all the right people involved have done their work.
That is why a building collapse is not just about concrete and steel.
It is a broken trust.
When Safety Becomes a Matter of Trust
A study released today once more highlights the problem of repeated building collapses in Nigeria, with experts pointing out, among other things, the inadequacy of practitioners, weak regulatory enforcement, and poor materials as issues.
However, the crucial question is not only why a building collapsed.
Why did such circumstances exist in the first place?
After a building collapse, it might be months or even years too late for some of the crucial choices to have already been made.
One person chose the materials. Another person approved the design. Yet another one supervised the process and conducted inspections.
All this happened before the collapse.
The Work Nobody Sees
It is the hidden aspects of buildings that make them strong.
The foundation is underground. The reinforcement is embedded into concrete. Calculations for the building structure are done on paper. Inspections are performed while the building is still empty.
This is true about society we live in.
There are many things that happen unnoticed and unappreciated. Standards are adhered to. Professionals work. The regulatory mechanisms are enforced. People refuse to take shortcuts.
We become aware of all these processes only when something goes wrong.
That is why competence is so important.
Everything can look good, but still be unsafe. The crown is not the whole story.
The Problem with Knowing but Failing to Act
There are people, laws and systems in Nigeria that exist to create safety.
Thus, the problem is not merely one of ignorance.
It is the consequence of what occurs when existing standards are not implemented effectively.
Inspection might appear to be just paperwork until it stops someone from going into a dangerous structure.
Professional certification might appear to be just red tape until an uncertified person’s decision results in fatalities.
Regulation might appear to be just a nuisance until the regulation itself stops a catastrophe.
Safety seems unnecessary until something terrible happens.
Then it seems inevitable.
The Cost of Cutting Corners
Shortcuts seem like saving money. Cheap materials seem like sound business decisions. Omitting a process seems like efficiency.
But not all consequences happen right away. Some of them happen later on, as cracks, as breakdowns, as, in the most serious cases, death.
This is why safety should never be seen as a barrier to development. Safety is development.
A beautiful but unsafe building does not represent development. Neither does a quickly developing city made up of unsafe buildings.
What We Build Shows What We Value
Perhaps the issue of the collapse of buildings tells us something about how we gauge success.
We tend to focus on the end result. We do not focus on the discipline needed to make sure it is dependable.
The mansion is visible. But not its foundation. The grand opening is visible. But not the inspections that have gone on for months before it.
The building itself is visible. But not the decision-making process that ensures it will last.
Houses Must Keep Their Promises
One must not have to think of the possibility of shortcuts having been taken before entering a building.
One should not need to worry about whether the building above him is a proper construction before sending children to bed.
One must not have to know the basics of structural engineering before renting a house.
A house is meant to offer security. Security requires people to do things right in their absence.
It could be that this is the bigger picture behind every falling building. What we don’t see usually counts for more than what we see.
The foundation isn’t visible. The reinforcement isn’t visible. So, also, inspection isn’t visible.
But these will decide whether the building will stand. And it might be the same way with a lot more than just buildings.