SIXTY-TWO people have died as a result of industrial accidents in Guyana between 2007 and now, Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Kishore Gopaul reported.

He presented the list of those deceased to the National Assembly, in response to a question by Leader of the Opposition, Mr. David Granger recently.
The most recent on the listing were Bosai Bauxite Company employees Kesta Grant, 18, Trenton Garner, 61 and Michael Williams, 43, who were killed in a vehicular accident last June 20 in the mines south of Linden, Upper Demerara River.
According to the report, eight persons were killed in the line of duty, thus far, this year. In addition to the three Bosai workers, Sean Scott  and Parmanand Ramroop, of Guyana Power & Light (GPL); Gopaul Jagdeo of GuySuco Skeldon Estate and Joseph Harry of the GuySuCo Albion Estate as well as Trevor Morris of the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T) were the other 2013 victims.
A total of 11 persons met their demise consequent to industrial action in 2012, five of whom had been working at Hanka Gold Fields.

SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION
Additionally, the six 2011 dead were a significant reduction to the 19 recorded in the previous year.
Granger had requested that the minister provide the House with the details of the fatalities which occurred through accidents or diseases “arising out of and in the course of employment.”
The Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) also wanted to know whether any inquests or investigations were conducted in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
In his written response, Gopaul stated that, while the 62 persons listed had all died in industrial accidents, there have been no reports of deaths by occupational diseases in Guyana over that period.
He advised, further, that no inquest was held but there were internal investigations carried out by the Occupational Health and Safety Department.
Gopaul said the ministry’s records also show that probes were done by the Labour Ministry in collaboration with other agencies.
Granger had asked, too, that the minister provide the House with the actual dates, names of magistrates, coroners or other “competent persons” appointed in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the locations of the courts or other places where each inquest was accomplished.

NO MAGISTRATE
However, Gopaul replied that no magistrate or coroner has ever been named by the Labour Minister to inquire into any industrial accident. But he maintained that the ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health Officers would have investigated some of the accidents in keeping with the provisions under the Act.
As such, he said recommendations were made on how to prevent recurrences of such mishaps and to indicate whether charges should be laid for any infraction of the law.
The Opposition Leader had also asked whether there have been any criminal prosecutions of persons found to be blameworthy in relation to the stated deaths and what were the outcomes of any such.
The minister answered that the Ministry of Labour has prosecuted employers for failing to report an accident in keeping with Section 69 (1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
He informed that only three employers were put  before the Court and they were M&M Snackette, Cevon’s Waste Management, both of whom were fined and Kishan Aluminum, which case was struck out. (Nadine Sanchara)