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Company’s negligence caused electrocution of construction worker
Investigations into the death of Leroy Francis Harris, a construction worker, who died after
DEAD: Leroy Francis Harris
he came into contact with live wires while working on top a three-storey building at Lot W ½ Evans Street, Charlestown, has revealed that his death was due to the negligence of Ready Mix Concrete, his employer.
Harris, formerly of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, was pronounced dead on December 3, 2014 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), after being rushed there by his co workers. He was electrocuted.
Harris had been employed as a construction worker for the company located at Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara, one year prior to his demise. At the time of his death he fathered a seven-month-old son.
It was reported that Harris, 25, was doing work on the building with a ‘flex’. His co-workers claimed that the object came into contact with electrical wires.
Investigations into this fatality were conducted by the Ministry of Social Protection, Labour Occupational Safety and Health Department. It was revealed that it was the negligence of the company for not adhering to good occupational health and safety practice that lead to the death.
According to the findings of the investigation, Ready Mix Concrete failed to report the fatality as required by Section 69 (2) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act #32 of 1997.
It was also revealed that there was no Occupational Safety and risk management done prior to the commencement of the job by the company at the location where the incident occurred.
It was also found that there was no training provided by the company in the area of Occupational Safety and Health for employees.
Further, the probe found that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) high voltage power cable was approximately two feet away from the building where the incident occurred; no attempts were made to have GPL cut power to the area, while Ready Mix was pouring concrete mixture on the top floor of the building.
The company also has no standard operation procedure for lowering the discharge of steel pipe from the top of the building. It was highlighted in the report, that investigation was limited because there was no eyewitness to the accident.
Shortly after the fatality, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company had offered Harris’s mother, Patricia Kirton, a cheque worth $400,000. Kirton had told Kaieteur News, “He (CEO) give me the cheque and tell me that he wants to see my son’s child mother and his baby.
“He also said that he gonna give the child milk and see in whatever way he can assist.”
She continued, “The boss said that $300,000 is for the funeral and $100,000 for the wake.
However, the mother refused to accept the cheque and said that her son’s life is worth more than $400,000. She had stated, “This is so unfair to (Harris) and the baby. I wonder if that man (CEO) has children. I am thankful for the help but my son’s life is worth more than that so I will not accept that money.”
Kirton recounted that she received a phone call around 17:00hrs on the day in question from her son’s co-worker. She said that she was informed that her son had encountered a problem with some electrical wires. “They did not tell me that it was that serious, that he had been shocked and was in bad shape.”
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