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Troy Resources failed to report 12 cases of occupational diseases
Ministry’s Report reveals…
A probe conducted by the Ministry of Social Protection had revealed that the Australian mining company Troy Resources Guyana Inc. (TRGI) failed to report twelve cases of occupational diseases at its Karouni mining operations. This was according to a leaked report on an investigation carried out by the Ministry of Social Protection’s Occupational Safety and Health Department.
Managing director of Troy Resources Guyana Inc. Ken Nilsson
The leaked report comes in wake of a startling revelation made by the Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Dr. Vincent Adams, who in a letter to the Managing Director of TRGI, Ken Nilsson and President David Granger, pointed out several infractions by the company.
According to the ministry’s report, said to be originally written late last year, “Charges are recommended against TRGI for failing to report 12 cases of Occupational Diseases (after being duly informed by the on-site medical practitioners) which were discovered during an inspection of the medical records for TRGI workers at the Karouni Project Site’s medical Facility.”
In addition, the ministry recommended further charges against the company for obstructing an officer of its Occupational Safety and Health Department in the execution of his official duties, adding that the company had neglected to submit to the investigating officer documents formally requested during his visit to the mining site.
The company has been in several violations since its commencement of operations, having been fined a sum of G$1M by the EPA in March for the spillage of over 5000 liters of oil at the Karouni project site. Additionally the company was ordered by the EPA to cease its operation until an investigation was conducted by the Ministry of Social Protection.
In addition to this, the company came under fire by the government of Guyana after it had taken a decision to sack three hundred employees in November 2019. This was seen as a flagrant breach of Guyana’s Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, which speaks to payment of employees in lieu of notice and in dealings with unionized workers.
In October 2019, the Ministry of Social Protection’s Occupational Safety and Health department along with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had confirmed the death of Ryan Taylor, a geologist attached to the mining company who died as a result of a pit cave in. Both agencies had pledged to conduct investigations into the matter; however, those findings were never released until now.
In the report seen by this newspaper, it was concluded that Troy Resources Guyana Inc. was entirely responsible for the death of Taylor and that the company had failed to provide a safe, sound, healthy and secure working environment for Taylor which contributed significantly to his demise.
The company has since denied the accusations made against it, stating that it had been absolved of responsibility in Taylor’s death by both agencies. The PRO of the company further stated that to date, the company has not seen or been in receipt of the report blaming them for the employee’s death.
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