Beharry employee dies after being hit by pressurised air

A 32-year-old supervisor at the Beharry Manufacturing company died on Tuesday in a freak accident at his workplace on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.
It was reported that Mark Gomes, of Long Pond, Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara (WBD), was at work around 17:50h on Tuesday supervising the transfer of flour to a silo from a pressurised tank that was mounted on a truck.
During the process, the pressurised tank started to make whistling sounds, which prompted the man to climb onto the back of the truck to investigate. It was then one of the hoses that were connected to the tank and the silo disconnected, causing the pressurised air to hit the man in the face.
As a result, he fell to the ground and was subsequently motionless.
Gomes was picked up and taken to a private city hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is presently at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Homes awaiting a post-mortem examination. Police are reviewing Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) footage of the incident as investigations continue.
Meanwhile, the Labour Ministry has since launched an investigation into the fatal workplace incident.
On its official media page, the Ministry said, “ “Mr Roydon Croal, Senior Occupational Safety and Health Officer of the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Ministry of Labour, commenced investigations into the circumstances of the accident on Tuesday evening, and investigations are continuing.”
The Ministry also noted that Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton was deeply saddened by the fatality, and offered condolences to the family and colleagues of Gomes.
Only on Monday, Royston Souvenir, a worker attached to Gaico Construction and General Services Inc, was killed in an accident while on duty at the Guyana Shore Base Inc (GYSBI).
Reports indicate that the accident occurred around 12:30h when Souvenir was struck by an excavator that was in operation. He was reportedly standing behind the excavator at the time.
Souvenir was struck in his chest and abdomen. He was reportedly taken to the St Joseph Mercy Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
An investigation was also carried out by the Labour Ministry at the scene where the incident occurred, and a report is pending. (G9)