Accra New Town building collapse not accidental – Dr Ishmael Norman
A security and emergency management expert has attributed the collapse of a building in Accra New Town to professional negligence, calling for criminal accountability against those responsible.
Speaking in an interview with GHOne TV, Dr. Ishmael Norman, President and CEO of the Institute for Security, Disaster and Emergency Studies, shared his assessment of the incident, stating that building collapses are rarely accidental.
“I believe that the accidents do happen, but buildings do not collapse by themselves, unless there is systematic mistake at the construction period,” he said.
Dr. Norman identified the building owner, the contractor, and the district assembly in whose jurisdiction the structure was built as the responsible parties, citing professional negligence on their parts. He explained that every building is required by law to obtain a permit and must be inspected before construction begins, before it is occupied, and periodically thereafter.
“…every building is supposed to have a permit…, would have been ascertained before construction went on and before it was occupied, that also should have been accessed and audited,” he stated.
Dr. Norman also noted that the building had been earmarked for demolition before the collapse, questioning why the demolition was delayed. “The person or the entity that delayed the demolishing should also be held accountable…” he said.
He went further to call for criminal charges against those whose negligence contributed to the disaster, saying, “and so for me, there are certain individuals in the situation who should be held criminally accountable due to professional negligence…”
Dr. Norman also warned that occupants of condemned buildings bear some responsibility for their own safety, adding, “if you’ve been warned not to use the building and you go and use the building and something happens, you are also equally contributory negligible for the damage that was caused.”
Concluding his remarks, Dr. Norman apportioned blame between authorities and citizens, placing 60% of the responsibility on the authorities and 40% on the public. He acknowledged, however, that desperation often drives people to occupy unsafe structures when they have no alternative shelter, noting that addressing homelessness and housing insecurity remains a critical factor in preventing such tragedies.
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