One of the three Demerara Oxygen Company Limited (DOCOL) employees injured in an explosion at the company’s Eccles plant last month has been discharged from the hospital.
Mirvel Richards, 19, of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara was released from the St Joseph Mercy Hospital on Friday. The man is being taken care of at home by a private nurse hired by DOCOL.
The company, Richards’ relatives told Stabroek News yesterday, has been providing continuous support. While the man’s face has healed, relatives said, his hands are healing slowly and he is still in some pain. “When we bring him home we had to set up a special room to keep him in and DOCOL give us a fan, a mattress and a mosquito net… they send a nurse and people from the company does visit daily,” a relative explained.
Heera Persaud and Rabindranauth Ramdhani, both of Leonora, West Coast Demerara sustained burns to the face, neck, abdomen and other parts of the body during the explosion. Both men were initially admitted to the hospital’s High Dependency Unit (HDU).
However, a relative of Ramdhani’s told this newspaper yesterday that the men had been transferred from HDU to a private room and were improving.
“Their face and so peel… their hands taking longer to heal but at least they not crying out for much pain,” the relative said.
Late last month the three employees suffered burns about the body after a gas cylinder exploded at DOCOL’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) filling plant in Eccles. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DOCOL Shameer Hoosein had said the company is committed to paying all medical expenses for the injured employees.
The Ministry of Labour, Hoosein had also said, had launched an investigation in to the incident. However, there has since been no word from the ministry about that investigation.
