Negligence by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guy-SuCo) and its agent Surendra Engineering Corporation Ltd (SECL) contributed to the accident at the Corporation’s Enmore factory, which resulted in the death of dryer operator Jainarine Singh, the Commission of Inquiry (COI) set up to investigate the accident has found.
“The COI found that there was adequate evidence to support that GUYSUCO and its agent SECL (Surendra Engineering Corporation Ltd) were negligent and contributed to the accident,” said the Commission’s report, which also noted defects in the sugar drying station that exploded and fatally injured Singh on May 15.
The Commission, which began its work on June 14, found that Singh, described as a dedicated employee, was in no way negligent in the performance of his duties when the accident occurred.
According to the report, during its investigation the commission ascertained that Singh was an excellent worker, who was recently transferred from the LBI estate, where he had worked as a boiler operator for the past 31 years. “He had an unblemished safety record. His peers and supervisors reported that he displayed sound safety practice and complied with safety and health policy of GuySuCo. It was as a result of his experience and the above attributes that he was selected to operate the sugar dryer,” the report said.
Several reports of defects
The report stated that the drying station, under Section 6 of the contract between GuySuCo and SECL, was not formally handed over to the Corporation because of defects it identified. However, it had been in operation to establish its optimum performance and to train employees.
According to the report, prior to the day of the tragedy the station was operated on twelve occasions for periods of approximately four hours. Persons interviewed during the inquiry stated that there were several reports of defects in the operation and these were reported on a snags/defect list. There were however, no records available to the commission to determine how the concerns were or will be addressed with the contract between the Corporation and the company.
“It appeared to the commission that some degree of uncertainty exists as to who is the authority or persons directly in charge of the project,” the report said.
While the commission was shown a copy of the contract with duties of the Project Engineer who has absolute responsibility, correspondence from the Project Manager to the General Manager of SECL suggested otherwise. The report explained that most of the correspondence originated from the Project Manager and was copied to the Project Engineer, while there were correspondences or documents to indicate that the Project Engineer delegated all or part of the project responsibilities to the Project Manager.
Further, the report said that there were “oversights,” as stated by the Project Manager, in the determination of critical information to the Project Engineer and other GuySuCo officials of the project.
The commission also found that information sharing or correspondence between the Project Manager and the Project Engineer on operation and discussions with SECL was affected. This could have been, according to the report, due to the uncertainty of authority as emails were sent directly to the Project Manager instead of the engineer.
First day
Meanwhile, according to the report the day of the accident was Singh’s first day in his new duties and he along with another worker, identified as Mr Jagmohan, was being trained on the job by Dean Marks, who was trained by SECL representatives and guided as he was taught.
“Examination of the training records supplied by SECL and the [Project Manager] on training provided on the operation and maintenance of the sugar dryer, showed an absence of details on the equipment,” the report said.
For example, there were no operating requirements and sequences of start-up or shut-down and the evaluation by the trainer(s) to determine effectiveness of the dryer.
The report said it was based on the evidence provided by Jagmohan and Marks that the commission concluded that the most probable cause of failure on the drying air steam heater was excessive pressure. It was pointed out that the heater was designed to operate at a certain temperature but was pressure tested at a different temperature by SECL.
And evidence given by the Safety and Health Officer revealed that SECL had to be cited on several occasions for violation of GuySuCo’s safety policy. Members of the commission viewed an aluminum ladder that was used by SECL employees in the dryer which was defective as it was shaky and twisted out of shape.
Recommendation
The commission has recommended that there should be an immediate confirmation of the person responsible for the project with clear written authority. It added that the entire packaging plant and modernisation project should be assessed for its compliance with national and international safety and health regulations and laws.
Further, it was recommended that there be clear guidelines on the standard operational procedures for reporting snags or defects in a time frame for remedial works. Greater emphasis should also be placed on compliance with the contract specifications as specified in the contract between the Corporation and the SECL, the report said.
The commission also said there is need for a greater sharing of information and documentation among the officers from GuySuCo and SECL with a clear line of authority. It was also recommended that there be an immediate improvement of GuySuCo’s quality control system in regards to the project and for the project to monitor installation and verification of design specification and operating conditions of equipment based on design details. And all safety valves and gauges should be replaced with new standardised valves and gauges in keeping with international standards, it said.
Meanwhile, the commission recommended that SECL should be made to comply with GuySuCo’s occupational safety and health policy on Personal Protective Equipment within its premises as required by law.
The investigation was conducted under the chairmanship of Dale Beresford with the other members of the commission being the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) General Secretary Seepaul Narine, Rose Hall Workers Representative Mohamed Ahamad, as well as Guy-SuCo’s Industrial Relations Manager Deodat Sukhu and Factory Operations Manager Sharma Dwarka.
During the investigation, the commission interviewed some twelve persons who were directly or indirectly associated with components and/or operations of the sugar dryer.
The establishment of the commission was based on an agreement between GuySuCo and GAWU.
