…as 4 workplace deaths recorded in 7 days
With four workplace fatalities being registered in the space of seven days, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton has determined that there is a need for a culture change when it comes to health and safety, coupled with the need for more stringent penalties for defaulters.
On February 4, 66-year-old Lennox McPherson died after he was pinned by an excavator bucket against the track of another excavator just outside the Guiana Shield Resources sandpit at Dora on the East Bank of Demerara.
Then on February 6, 64-year-old Trevor Jones died after he was crushed by super reach stacker at the John Fernandes Wharf at Water Street, Georgetown. It was reported that the man was struck by the counterweight at the rear of the vehicle, at which point he fell and was fatally injured by the rear right wheel of the machine.
On February 9, 27-year-old Domindra Narayan succumbed to injuries he had received one month prior after falling from a 10ft scaffold, whilst pressure washing Imam Bacchus Sons Limited’s complex at Affiance, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Then on February 10, a Venezuelan health and safety worker, 37-year-old Rusbel Azocar was killed at the Vreed-en-Hoop Shore Base, the artificial island that is being constructed in the Demerara River. Police had stated that the worker was placing safety cones and danger tape around a hole as a signal to warn others of the hazard, but, unfortunately, he himself fell into the hole. It was reported that at the time, he was not wearing a lifejacket, as was necessitated by protocols.
In the latest incident, Minister Hamilton highlighted the irony of the fact that the health and safety worker failed to adhere to health and safety protocols at the worksite.
“What is astonishing, he has OSH training and understanding so, if he is in that position, then you can imagine the people he is supposed to be supervising,” the labour minister remarked.
He also commented too on the fact that the workplace fatality occurred at a site that is supposed to have been operating at the highest level of safety standards.
“It is alarming. Most companies now are developing their HSE based on what oil and gas is requiring…so yes, you would expect better for a company that is in oil and gas,” he said.
The Minister nevertheless admitted that even with all the right guidelines in place, the attitude and culture of the workplace regarding health and safety would need to be up to standards.
“For me, it’s a cultural issue…,” he said.
VESHI has since revealed that the victim was employed by a subcontractor. VEHSI is a joint venture between NRG Holdings Inc.—a 100 percent Guyanese-owned consortium that is the majority shareholder –and Jan De Nul, a Belgium international maritime infrastructure company. ExxonMobil Guyana and VESHI had signed a 20-year agreement for shore base services to support the US oil giant’s operations offshore Guyana.
Modern laws, training
Nevertheless, the labour minister said the government is working on introducing modern laws governing health and safety in the workplace.
