– investigation finds

THE Ministry of Social Protection Friday last handed over the final report on the death of former Tony’s Auto Spares construction worker Asraf Hoonsaney. The report was handed over by the Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle, on behalf of the Ministry of Social Protection.
The reported stated, that the accident which occurred on the 2nd August, 2016 causing the death of Hoonsaney could have been avoided if the company had been maintaining occupational safety and health practices and standards.
The report highlighted that no supervision was in place at the time of the accident, and no risk assessment was done to eliminate possible hazards. This publication was made to understand that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Company was not contacted before or after the accident to isolate the said area where the work was being done.
The investigation revealed several findings which stated that the power line which the victim came into contact with carried the maximum of 240 volts, which was confirmed by Networks Operations Manager of GPL Shaun Hamlet.
Also, no first-aid kit was on site at the time of the accident. However, after the incident, the company had one of its employees wrap the exposed wire with insulation tape.
A sum of $250,000 was offered to the family of the deceased by the company.
Hoonsaney died as a result of being electrocuted while on duty at a bond for Tony’s Auto Spares.
It was reported that he walked along the roof and adopted the bending posture to nail the zinc of the shed and was not aware he was bending under a power line which had a portion exposed; as he straightened to walk off his body came into contact with the exposed power line.
A subset of the report stated that “Safety with respect to the work being done was not properly assessed which could have highlighted the risks involved by working in close proximity to the consumer intake line… As a matter of fact, no prior risk assessment was done by the company.”
The Labour, Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Department highlighted that a risk assessment should have been carried out before the commencement of the job by the company.
Tony’s Auto Spares may be liable to the estate of the deceased.
The LOSH department hopes that Tony Auto Spares will see their shortcomings and take the necessary steps to correct them to avoid accidents in the future.
Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle, stated that companies and employers are being encouraged to set and maintain the highest possible standards within the realm of safety. “The notion that accidents are inevitable has no place in the thought process and value system of the ministry,” Ogle said.
The Ministry of Social Protection is encouraging all members of the public to use the hotline facility and report all safety breaches and potential breaches.
Ogle said that all workplaces will be investigated and the findings will be shared with the employers, so that the lessons learnt can form the basis for pre-emptive training in the future.