Haags Bosch Dumpsite Death…Widow still awaiting answers after almost four years

Jul 28, 2015 News

By Shyon Hoppie
Almost four years ago, 42 year-old Clive Chisholm, was crushed to death by a Cevon’s Waste Management truck at the Haags Bosch dumpsite behind Eccles Industrial site, East Bank Demerara. Chisholm’s widow, Rajnee Annie Beephan, is reportedly still awaiting some form of justice for her husband’s death and answers from his employers.

The deceased,
Clive Chisholm

According to Beephan, the driver was never charged for causing the death of her husband and the matter has since been swept under a rug in some dark corner of the universe.
The widow recently expressed her concerns about the matter and to her surprise, she was told that she cannot be given any information on her husband’s death.
Over the years, Rajnee Beephan said that she had been trying to get some form of compensation from the company since she has 10 children to provide for and her husband was the sole breadwinner of the family. However to date she has not received anything from Cevon’s.
Since December of 2011 the matter has been back and forth whereas the waste management company, Cevon’s, had been to court on several occasions for not reporting the death which constituted an immediate breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The Ministry of Labour had launched an investigation to ascertain the circumstances that led to the death of the 42-year-old at the Haags Bosch dumpsite.
Former Minister of Labour, Nanda Gopaul, had told Kaieteur News at the time that the investigation was in the hands of officials from the Occupation Health and Safety Association (OHSA).
Chisholm was reportedly crushed in one of the dumpsite pits by a truck which was reversing to discharge refuse. One report stated that he had disembarked from the truck to urinate when the mishap occurred.
A bulldozer operator is said to have been the sole eyewitness. The mishap occurred at around 16:00 hrs on the December 15, 2011, and some sources are puzzled that the truck driver failed to notice Chisholm.
There have been conflicting reports as to how the man met his demise. Persons have claimed that Chisholm had exited the truck and entered the pit, when the truck driver started to reverse. It is alleged that the driver was apparently unaware that the porter was near or behind the vehicle.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has ordered that an inquest be conducted into the circumstances surrounding the death of Chisholm, Shortly after the incident, the police had prepared a file containing statements from the driver of the truck, as well as eyewitnesses and sent it to the DPP for advice.
During the latter part, the file was sent back to the police ordering the inquest.
Further, as it relates to another aspect of the investigation, the Ministry of Labour had told this publication that legal action would be taken against Cevon’s Waste Management. In early January they had completed the investigations, hence the recommendations.
Subsequently, the matter between Cevon’s and the Labour Ministry had been resolved but the question still remains, she said. “What about the life that was lost?”
Rajnee Annie Beephan has said that she just needs some closure since it is hard to wake up to the reality that nothing was ever done for her husband even though he died on the job.
She said that something needs to be done about the matter. She wants the relevant authorities to be the voice of the voiceless.