Porter falls to death from building after receiving electric shocks

Bryan Hardilall, a 19-year-old porter of Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara, lost his life on Friday after electric shocks tossed him from a three-storey building under construction on Norton Street, between Hardina and Haley streets in Wortmanville, Georgetown.
According to reports, Hardilall and a 53-year-old colleague were sent by their employer to install metal gutters at the top of the building, at about 12:00h, when a metal gutter that Hardilall was fetching came into contact with a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) power line. The electric shock threw Hardilall from the top of the building to the bottom, and he landed on a pile of concrete blocks stored in the yard.
Emergency Medical Technicians were quickly summoned, and Hardilall was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he died at about 13:00h.
Reports indicate that Hardilall was not wearing any safety gear at the time of the incident.
Police, in a statement on the incident, said, “At the time, the surroundings were wet, and the deceased was not wearing his boots nor any protective gears. Police examined the deceased body, and swelling and bruises were seen about the body. Investigations are ongoing.”
More than two weeks ago, the Labour Ministry announced reduced workplace fatalities.
In 2020, there were 32 deaths, followed by 27 in 2021, 21 in 2022, and 20 in 2023. (G9)