The Labour Ministry will be investigating two recent workplace fatalities. The ministry will probe the accident at the John Fernandes Wharf which resulted in the death of 36-year-old Sheldon Wilson, a truck driver for the Guyana Stockfeeds Inc.
Reports indicate that Wilson was proceeding to the assembly point of the wharf to offload feed from the truck when he reportedly drove the vehicle off the wharf partially into the river. Reports from eyewitnesses indicated that Wilson appeared to be convulsing when he drove the truck off the wharf.
The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department of the Ministry of Labour will investigate the accident. The Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton has once again expressed his concern about these workplace fatalities and over time has stressed the need for increased Occupational Safety and Health awareness programmes in workplaces.
The Ministry is also investigating the workplace accident in a mining pit in Blackwater Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region # 7, where one miner was fatally injured.
The reports stated that, on June 28, 2021, the victim was jetting in the mining pit when the dam that held slush from the tail end broke and the slush began to run down, which caught and covered the victim. Vibes (only name given), a miner of 4 Miles Port Kaituma, Region # 1 was fatally injured during the accident.
The Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department has since commenced its investigation into the accident in collaboration with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). This accident has resulted in the seventh fatality in the mining sector for the year 2021.
