Collapsed 2-storey building: Assessment of building materials to be done as part of investigation

Investigations into the recent collapse of a building under construction at Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara (ECD), which claimed the life of a worker, are ongoing, with an assessment slated to be conducted on the materials used.

This is according to Labour and Manpower Planning Minister Keoma Griffith.

“We’re waiting for Public Works to conduct an analysis of materials used, so the results of that analysis will impact the outcome of the investigation,” he recently told this publication.

The Labour Minister explained that incidents such as this are usually an intersectoral effort.

“It’s not just the Ministry of Labour. So, we are able to comment on the occupational safety side of it, but a part of that pertains to the type of materials that were used. So, that assessment has to be done by the Public Works Ministry, and we’ve already requested their assistance,” he stated.

On April 15, at around 19:10h, the under-construction building came crashing down, trapping eight workers beneath the rubble. One of those workers, 46-year-old carpenter Radish Domingo of Mon Repos, ECD, was killed, while the others sustained injuries to their bodies.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported that preliminary investigations revealed that the men were employees of a construction firm and were in the process of completing work on the roof when the structure collapsed.

The Police and the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) were summoned, and emergency personnel assisted in removing the trapped workers from the rubble and transporting them to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and a private medical facility.

Domingo, however, was pinned beneath the debris. When he was eventually recovered and taken to the GPHC, he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Culture change

Minister Griffith expressed concerns about this latest workplace fatality, underscoring the importance of safety practices, especially in such high-risk environments. However, he recognised the monumental task ahead to get stakeholders to comply with safety practices.

“It will never be done overnight; it’s a culture that has to be changed. That is why for the rest of the year, we will be running a campaign of ‘putting safety first’, and we just hope our efforts will pick up traction and people will actually put their safety first,” he emphasised during a recent interview with this newspaper.

Only earlier this month, he had reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to ensuring the safety, health, and well-being of all workers while announcing the launch of a national campaign aimed at strengthening workplace standards. He emphasised that workplace safety must never be treated as optional.

In fact, during a previous interview with this publication, Griffith had warned that operators and employers who fail to comply with health and safety regulations will face penalties.

The Labour Ministry, through its Occupational Safety and Health Department, has been working with stakeholders in various high-risk sectors, including construction and mining, to comply with safety regulations.