The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OSHA) has filed a formal complaint in the Industrial Court against the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) for six breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) Act following the unfortunate October 22, 2023, accident that took the life of WASA wastewater craftsman Kern Etienne, 39, while performing works on the sewer and water mains at the San Fernando Licensing Office compound.
The father of two of Embacadere, San Fernando, died after a mound of dirt collapsed on top of him as he was standing inside a 12-feet trench.
In a statement today, WASA revealed that the matter was called for case management on June 7, 2024.
It said WASA’s internal investigation into the incident identified a number of procedural and safety deficiencies in the conduct and execution of the job, and the authority has been in consultation with its attorneys to get legal direction on the matter.
WASA said immediately after the October fatality, WASA’s board of commissioners launched an immediate investigation into the incident and instructed the authority’s executive team to take immediate steps to ensure all health and safety processes and procedures were adopted and adhered to without exception.
“ These steps included: An immediate HSE safety stand-down of all WASA crews, during which the CEO and Director of Operations met with all senior operations staff to reinforce a zero- tolerance standard on safety; refresher stand-down training was provided for all managers and crews on the safety procedures and protocols regarding excavation and similar type work; to ensure compliance, random inspections are conducted at operations sites, with zero tolerance for any safety breach; WASA has partnered with AMCHAM and the NGC to enhance Excavation Safety Competency for selected staff and additionally, the Authority has engaged the services of the National Gas Company to review, audit and advise on its processes to ensure they are in line with international best practice.”
WASA said it remains committed to ensuring that all its safety systems are robust, and that works are performed in a safe manner.