Dear Editor,

CARPENTER Yuvraj Sewlall fell whilst working on the roof of a house in the Corentyne, and lost his life last Thursday, leaving his wife and two very young children.

Many people would feel sympathy for Sewlall and his family for a period of time; after that, life goes on, although the wellbeing of Sewlall’s family will be periodically remembered.

My letter is not about the future of his family, but about the careless loss of a life, and those which, over the years, have been similarly lost. I am also writing about the many persons who have been similarly injured, some having been left greatly maimed, or even crippled for life.

Safety precautions should have been taken, but, sadly, those are not enforced in Guyana; and there seems to be no organization that is responsible for enforcing those precautions. Many worksites are doing various types of jobs that require the use of safety gear, but those workers do not have the safety gear for whatever reason; and sadly, because of their own negligence, workers lose their lives or get maimed, and then there is the cry ‘if I had known’.

Editor, in neighbouring Caribbean countries, many Guyanese go to earn an easier living and, over the years, when some return either temporarily or permanently, I would always enquire about the way of life there and their working methods. During my usual questioning, I’ve learnt that, unlike in Guyana, many of those countries, like Trinidad and Barbados for instance, have strict safety rules and precautions that the workers have to adhere to, or they cannot work. According to many returning Guyanese, safety gear like harness, belts, boots, hats and gloves are provided when they start working with any construction firm/company, and a small part is deducted from the worker’s salary until all the gear is fully paid for.

When going to work, if you don’t have the required safety gear, the security or foreman would deny you entrance to the worksite; and if you are working and don’t have your gear or are not using it, you are either suspended or forced to pay a fine.

If a safety officer passes a work site and notices anyone working without safety gear, the employer would have to pay a fine, and the worksite would have to cease operating for a few days (suspended).

Many of them who return here would work with the same careless attitude, because most employers don’t give any consideration to workers’ safety, they are just interested in getting the job done.

Do we have a functioning body to monitor these worksites in Guyana to ensure that safety precautions are being met? There are many contractors who have underage children working, but that’s another issue, which will be dealt with in another letter.

Meanwhile, could those in authority please ensure that proper safety precautions are being practised, to ensure that lives are saved, instead of being lost, and families being left to fend for their own?

I’ve seen many people being seriously injured, with some even being left crippled, begging for help because they cannot work for their own, and where they got their injuries don’t remember them or are not interested in helping them.

Respectfully,
SAHADEO BATES