Workers employed at one of the most active mining pits on the disputed Chinese Landing in the north west escaped injury and possibly death following a cave-in.
The mining pit collapsed on Tuesday resulting in the destruction of machinery such as pumps and crushers, and shade tents within the pit.
A source told Stabroek News that a keen-eyed worker observed a fissure in the pit wall with falling soil, and alerted the others.
“One of them see it and he tell the boss and when they exit the pit and go up (to the surface of the pit) it didn’t look nice and he tell the workers close up and come out of the pit. Within about 15 to 20 minutes you hear ‘grrrhh bram,’” the source said.
He explained that the force of the shear failure destroyed everything in its path. “This thing just come and bruk up the shed, bruk up the engine, bruk up the walls, all the camp one side bruk up,” the source recounted.
This newspaper was informed that a mines officer from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) was subsequently instructed to visit the site and assess the damage.
Concerns were also raised over the conditions in which the workers were carrying out their duties. From all indications, workers are labouring without the necessary safety gear in place.
“The reports are not accurate going out …because when the GGMC officers visit most times the workers don’t work and as soon as the officers leave they go back to working the pits. There is a lot of four-inch dredges and an increase in crushers in the mining pits,” another source stressed.
It was suggested that the constant and heavy vibration from the crushers operating could have triggered the shear failure.
The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) several months ago urged miners to practice safety in the execution of their jobs. The mining sector, the association said, is recognised to be a high risk and hazardous industry.
The GGDMA reminded that over the years it has appealed to its members, and the general mining community, to adhere to and implement good safety practices. The role of proper and sound planning in ensuring better productivity and safety should be well recognised, the GGDMA says. Based on the results of various Commissions of Inquiry into mining incidents, “We believe that many of the incidents that resulted in fatalities could have been avoided with better planning.”
As such, the GGDMA urged miners to adopt practices and technologies that would not only increase productivity but also ensure the safety and health of workers.
