Dear Editor,
I read in the Stabroek News of Friday, December 15 on page 2, that a labourer was electrocuted while working on a three-storey building located in Evans Street, and furthermore, that an investigation would be conducted into the matter. This is a continuous issue of human disaster on high-rise buildings.
It is time the relevant authorities (the Minister of Local Government and the Town Clerk of Georgetown) become seriously involved in the investigation.
Editor, the investigator should first inquire:
- whether the developer has an approved plan from the Engineers Department of the Mayor and City Council;
- how many storeys had the developer applied for in constructing this particular building?
- Is the contractor whom the owner informed about items and materials, licensed?
- What qualifies him/her as a building contractor?
- What is the contactor’s track record in constructing high-rise buildings?
- Did he have life insurance for his employees who were working on the premises?
If any negligence is found, the contractor and the developer should be made culpable, since they knew that there was lurking danger with the electrification.
If developers and contractors do not take the necessary building precautions, strong sanctions should be applied against them. Building disasters and mishaps must at all times be avoided.
Yours faithfully,
Anthony ‘Trini’ Boyce
Mayor and City Council
