The Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton will shortly appoint a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the fatal accident involving Neptrid Hercules who was employed by Chinese bauxite company, Bosai at Linden, Upper Demerara River.
This action is in keeping with Section 72 (1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Chapter 99:06 of the Laws of Guyana.
A release from the Ministry today said that the Act gives the Minister the power to direct a formal investigation into any accident arising out of or in the course of employment of any worker where he considers it expedient to do so.
Competent persons, which will include an experienced mining engineer and a geologist, will be appointed to serve on this commission, whose main purpose will be “to determine the cause(s) of the accident and make recommendations for the prevention of accidents generally and more specifically the recurrence of similar accidents”, the release said.
Hercules went missing in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, March 11, 2023, along with the CAT D9T Dozer, which he was operating at the time.
This was as a result of a failure experienced by the Overburden Dump where he was working in the East Montgomery Mine, which caused them to be covered by the overburden. The body of Hercules was found several days later, after an extensive search.
“The Minister is deeply concerned about this matter. He holds the view that this accident should never have happened and he owes it to the family, his co-workers, and the community to ensure that there are no recurrences. Hence the appointment of a “Commission of Inquiry” to provide answers to the numerous questions that abound and recommendations for implementation”, the release said.
Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety and Health Department has instructed the company that the suspension of work in the middle dump of the Montgomery mine, where the accident occurred, should continue until a reassessment is done for the extraction of the Dozer.