FSS holds home safety and health workshop
By Mustafa Abubakar
The Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ilorin, has organised a home safety and health workshop to enhance safety awareness, emergency preparedness and healthy living among members of the Faculty.
The workshop, held last Tuesday (September 29, 2026), at the Faculty Boardroom, featured presentations on “Practical Guidelines on Home Safety and Fire Fighting Strategies” and “How to Apply First Aid During Emergency Situations at Home and Workplace.”
In her presentation, the Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, who was represented by Dr Charles Ayeni, stressed that the first minutes of an emergency matter and that homes and workplaces should be prepared to provide appropriate assistance before professional help arrives.
Dr El-Imam explained that first aid is the bridge between an emergency and professional care, aimed at preserving life, preventing deterioration and supporting recovery. He outlined the response sequence as recognise, protect, call, act, monitor and hand over, while urging people to remain calm and take early, correct action.
For cardiac arrest, she advised a call for emergency assistance and commencement of CPR and use an AED where available, with adult compressions at 100–120 per minute and approximately 5cm depth should be deployed.
On choking, Dr El-Imam disclosed that coughing should be encouraged where the person could still cough or speak, while severe choking requires immediate intervention. He outlined appropriate back blows and thrusts for adults, children and infants and warned against blind finger sweeping.
On severe bleeding, she urged participants to apply firm, steady pressure with a clean dressing or material and maintain pressure. “Burns should be cooled with clean, cool running water, while electrical sources should be isolated before touching a casualty. The use of ice, toothpaste, butter or oil on burns was discouraged”, he added.
She also advised participants to restrain a person during a seizure or put anything in the mouth, while stroke recognition was explained through B.E. F.A.S.T.: Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech and Time.
For poisoning, they were advised to protect themselves, identify the substance and seek professional advice without deliberately inducing vomiting.
Also speaking, the Kwara State Controller of the Federal Fire Service, who was represented by the Deputy Superintendent of Fire Service, Mr Oyekunle Hammad Oladipo, explained that home fire safety starts before the flame and identified the fire triangle: fuel, heat and oxygen, noting that removing any one element can stop fire.
He identified common Nigerian household risks as overloaded extension boards, fake cables, power surges, uncertified electrical installations, unattended gas cookers, leaking LPG cylinders, degraded hoses, petrol or diesel stored near living areas or generators, candles, mosquito coils near curtains or bedding, and overheating fans.
He explained fire classes as A, ordinary combustibles; B, flammable liquids; C, flammable gases; D, combustible metals; and F/K, cooking oils and fats. He also explained four ways to stop fire: cool, smother, starve and interrupt, stressing that extinguishers must match the type of fire.
He said the appropriate extinguishers included water for Class A, dry powder ABC for Classes A, B and C, CO₂ for electrical equipment and flammable liquids, and wet chemical extinguishers for kitchen oils and fats. The PASS method Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep was also demonstrated.
He advised participants to keep extinguishers ready, visible and reachable, check pressure gauges, inspect for damage and arrange professional servicing.
Earlier in his address, the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. A. Y. Muhammed, said that the workshop was organised to equip members of the Faculty with practical knowledge on home safety, fire prevention, emergency preparedness and first aid, adding that it also meant to promote safety awareness and prepare members of the Faculty to respond appropriately to emergencies at home and in the workplace.
