Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Public Services Association president Leroy Baptiste is calling for the six breaches identified by the Occupational Safety and Health Authority, which led to the death of WASA worker Kern Etienne, to be made public.
OSHA filed a formal complaint in the Industrial Court against WASA for six breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) Act. The matter was called for case management on June 7.
Responding to the development yesterday, Baptiste said: “It is the firm view of the Public Service Association that this OSHA report should not be hidden and the organisation could only learn from its mistake when it becomes a public document.”
Asked whether he was surprised that the OSH Authority had filed charges in the Industrial Court against WASA, Baptist said: “I am surprised that it’s only six breaches that were found. The level of unsafety in WASA is high.”
Baptiste sought to explain this unsafe culture saying: “When you have an essential service that is underfunded, it causes the authority to cut corners to get the work done, so the underfunding of WASA is what caused the problem that resulted in the loss of life.”
He said the PSA has complained “bitterly” about inadequate health and safety over the years.
He also called for the WASA Board to be fired.
“People are running the authority and they are not following the law. We have asked for the union and management to sit and engage in reviewing the safety management about the safety and health of employees. It starts there.”
Meanwhile, Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh, who is the UNC’s Shadow Minister of Labour, also called for the dismissal of the WASA Board. He said the OSHA report should be laid in Parliament.
“The Human Resources and the Health and Safety Departments at WASA, in addition to WASA’s management must accept full responsibility for the breaches which occurred under their watch. While they are alive and conducting their analyses, Mr Etienne is no longer alive and his family has lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother and a breadwinner,” he said.
Meanwhile, Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales said now that the OSH Authority filed an action against WASA in the Industrial Court, it was proof that there were no cover-ups by State agencies.
He said: “I am satisfied that the investigation was done independently and without external interference. Despite the howls and cries by many detractors about alleged ‘cover-ups’ this shows and proves that we still do have functioning institutions in our country and for that, we should be proud.”
“As Minister, I have to be very careful and responsible in what I say since I do not wish to prejudice any of the interested parties in this matter. I promised from the onset that a full-scale investigation will be allowed and the chips may fall where they may,” he added.
Etienne died on October 22, last year after a mound of dirt collapsed on top of him while he was working inside a trench along Cipero Road, near the San Fernando Licensing Office. Eight of his colleagues frantically tried to claw their way through the mud to free him. However, an autopsy confirmed he died after his spine was severed in two places.
WASA on Sunday said it 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 practices.
