Shawn Joseph, who was crushed to death by a crane on Thursday, while planting piles on a construction site of a shore base facility at Providence, East, Bank Demerara, was flung out of the machine, says his mother.
Beverly Dossantos, the mother of Joseph, told Stabroek News on Friday that according to the information her other son, who was also on site, communicated to her, Joseph was flung out of the cab after a pile broke while being driven and was subsequently crushed when the machine toppled.
Dossantos recounted that two weeks ago her sons left for Georgetown to work on the construction site. Joseph and his brothers, who reside in other villages in Berbice, stopped to see their mother on their way to Georgetown. She said that before they departed, she prayed for them. They were expected to return home on Friday for a funeral.
Joseph was the father of three and worked as a crane operator for 20 years. Dossantos recalled that she was on her way home from church on Thursday when she saw a huge crowd inside her yard and upon her arrival home she was notified of her son’s death.
According to reports, 44-year-old Joseph was crushed to death by a crane moments after he jumped from it as it toppled while planting piles at a construction site of a shore base facility at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
The accident occurred at Lot 49 Parker Street, Providence, East Bank Demerara, at around 11:30 hours on Thursday.
Investigations have so far revealed that the Tepui Group, which is owned by Mikhail Rodrigues, also called ‘Guyanese Critic’, has been contracted to build a wharf at the location.
Joseph was the operator of a crane fitted with a hammer to drive concrete piles.
At the time of the operation, Joseph was alone in the crane while other workers were nearby. The crane toppled on the wharf, prompting him to jump out of the cab, in an attempt to escape injury. However, he fell onto the wharf and was subsequently pinned by the crane.
The Ministry of Labour’s Occupational Safety and Health Depart-ment has launched an investigation into the fatal accident. It is being led by Darwin Bourne, an Occupational Safety and Health Officer, whose task is to examine the circumstances that led to this fatality and to make recommendations for the prevention of similar accidents.
