The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 46-YEAR-OLD construction worker was killed in Spanish Wells on Friday when his friend and co-worker, unaware he was on the other side of a block-making machine, activated a lever that struck him.

The man, identified only as Daniel, worked for Island Block and Concrete. He was on the opposite side of the machine, removing concrete from its tray, as his co-worker went to clean it on Friday afternoon. The lever emptied the tray, striking him. Police found him lifeless at the scene with visible head injuries.

Robert Roberts, the island's chief councillor and co-owner of the company, who was at the scene, said it happened at about 5.30pm, at the end of the day, during the same procedure the workers carry out every afternoon after the blocks are made.

"They weren't doing anything different than they would normally do," Mr Roberts said.

He said the company has operated the machine for more than two decades and both men were used to handling it. He declined to speculate on what went wrong, saying the company would await the outcome of the police investigation, but said that, based on the company's information, it appeared to be an "unfortunate" accident.

The two workers were good friends, Mr Roberts said, and the co-worker was inconsolable.

"We tried to comfort him. For three hours, he was beside himself," Mr Roberts said. "I kept telling him, you know, listen, things happen. I know it's tragic, but it's an accident. There was nothing intentional that went on."

He described Daniel, who had reportedly lived on Spanish Wells for about a decade, as a well-liked and devoted employee. He was quiet, Mr Roberts said, and not a loner, but not one to go out and about. He did his work and went home, and he was working to support his family in Haiti. Mr Roberts said the company has been in contact with the family.

Asked whether operations would be suspended pending the investigation, Mr Roberts said he was unsure, and that the company would await a response from police before deciding its next steps.

The death is the latest in a string of serious workplace accidents over the past year that have left several people dead, injured or hospitalised.

Last month, two men were killed when the ground gave way beneath them at a Lyford Cay worksite.

In July, a 54-year-old Chinese national died after falling from a scaffold while working near the Thomas A Robinson Stadium Sports Centre.

In June, a construction worker in his mid-20s died after falling from a roof beam at a site just south of Prince Charles Drive.

In April, a 64-year-old man died after being struck by a pipe in an industrial accident at Atlantis.

In January, a man in his 50s was killed when rubble collapsed around an excavator he was operating near the former Mario's Bowling Alley building. Emergency crews spent about three hours trying to reach him before his body was recovered from beneath the debris.

At an occupational safety and health workshop last month, Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle announced plans to introduce drone-assisted inspections and expand the inspectorate to strengthen workplace safety. She said inspectors had already stepped up enforcement and were covering more ground to prevent accidents and ensure compliance.