It is quite likely that the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OSHA), which is investigating the recent deaths of the four LMCS divers, will be called before the Commission of Enquiry probing the incident.
Labour Minister Stephen McClatchie pointed this out yesterday, following a media briefing where United National Congress MP Rudy Indarsingh called on McClatchie, OSHA chairman Victor Coombs and chief inspector Shirvan Ali to answer questions on the divers’ deaths.
Five LMCS divers were working on a pipeline at Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited on February 25 when an incident occurred and they were sucked into the pipeline. Tragically only one, Christopher Boodram, survived, while colleagues Yusuf Henry, Fyzal Kurban, Rishi Nagassar and Kazim Ali Jr perished.
Members of a Commission of Enquiry to probe the incident will be sworn in on April 18. The CoE was announced by the Prime Minister and detailed by Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young (Energy Minister). The PM’s Office holds responsibility for commissions of enquiry.
Yesterday, Indarsingh claimed Young had “hijacked” the situation when McClatchie or the two OSHA officials hadn’t been heard from. He said Government was “going down the road” that the CoE would provide answers on the incident but OSHA was the law on probing industrial accidents.
Contacted following Indarsingh’s comment, McClatchie, apart from stating that OSHA’s input may be given at the CoE, also said that OSHA also has to be very careful in divulging too much information on their investigation. He noted that part of the OSHA Act gives the authority prosecutorial powers which allow OSHA to bring charges if necessary.
Indarsingh, at his briefing, said T&T must know “why OSHA failed to do its job” and if Coombs and Ali cannot give replies they must resign. He asked why it allegedly took 11 days to issue a prohibition notice when it was needed within hours of securing the site. He also asked if OSHA secured the site, what was the composition of OSHA’s team probing the incident, if contracted people were involved and if they’d be independent.
He said the Opposition didn’t know what resources were being given to the CoE, where staff would be located or the enquiry venue. He queried the “silence” from Young and Paria Fuel following the second autopsy on diver Kazim Ali Jr. His family retained pathologist Hubert Daisley to do a private forensic autopsy. That autopsy found that Ali Jr may have been alive for up to 39 hours after the incident.
Rudy: No hope in public service negotiations
Indarsingh also said acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob must give round the clock security to Christopher Boodram, who was a witness to the incident.
Indarsingh also asked if Paria had outsourced its Health and Safety aspect to a People’s National Movement San Fernando member who’s a frequent golfer.
He also claimed Government was “abusing” and trying to buy votes with the public service wage hike negotiations for PNM’s internal election and Local Government polls.
He claimed there was no “ray of hope” in the negotiations which Government had ordered because he didn’t “trust” Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
UNC senator David Nakhid, who castigated Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on various issues, claimed the PNM had turned youths into hustlers in their communities. He said some who wanted to maintain their lifestyle turned to the drug trade, “so what was the poor to do.”
He said UNC’s Jerlean John took people who were in a life of crime and brought them to agriculture but Rowley disparaged “patchoi politics.” He said former Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, who was “fired because he exposed corruption” should have been fired due to lack of competency.
