A 40-year-old employee of the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary (MMA) scheme drowned in the Berbice River around 9.30 am yesterday while repairing a sluice door at D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice; his body was fished out almost two hours later.
Berkley Hollingsworth
Reports are that Berkley Hollingsworth of Golden Grove Village was working on the three-door sluice, located close to the Berbice River Bridge along with a few other employees when he met his demise.
He was reportedly sitting on a boat when it hit against a concrete wall, causing him to lose his balance and topple overboard.
Eyewitnesses told Stabroek News that his colleagues tried to grab him but the rough waters pulled him under the middle door, into the river.
Fishermen assisted the workers to launch a search immediately and also supplied them with fishing hooks.
This newspaper was told that the men spent almost two hours throwing the hooks into the “koker pit” at different points. They finally succeeded in hooking a part of Hollingsworth’s pants and pulling him up.
The man’s reputed wife, Andrea Archibald told Stabroek News that her husband could not swim. She said she was told that Hollingsworth was alone in the boat when it capsized and that he drowned even though he was wearing a lifejacket.
However, she said she doubted that he was wearing a lifejacket as if he were he would have been rescued alive.
Archibald said sadly that her husband only started working with MMA five months ago as a vehicle serviceman.
She said he was not getting “everyday work” and accepted an offer just over one month ago to work on the sluice.
Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary employee Berkley Hollingsworth (above) was working on this sluice when he fell off a boat and drowned.(Photo by Shabna Ullah)
She said during last week Hollingsworth told her that he “nearly drown and my mother [who lives nearby] tell him not to work there anymore”, but he continued because she was not working at the time.
The woman, who is now employed as a labourer with farmers at Bush Lot, was at work when she received a call from her sister just after 10:00 am to “come home now, now!”
She questioned whether something was wrong at home but her sister related that her mother got a phone call that “Berkley drown.” She said she did not believe her sister and as she hurried home, she dialled her husband’s cell phone three times but got no response.
Hours later, she got a call that his body was found and went to the hospital mortuary, where she finally faced the truth.
In tears she recalled what a good man he was. “If ah said Berkley ah want a bucket of water to bathe he would bring it for me. If ah tell he Berkley feed the chickens he would go,” she said.
Shaking her head, she kept repeating, “I can’t believe it; ah still can’t believe it…”
Hollingsworth also leaves to mourn his seven-year-old son Brandon, his father and siblings; his mother died less than two months ago.
i’m so sorry
Tragic!
Berkley Hollingsworth’s wife cries in grief “I can’t believe it; ah still can’t believe it…” and we are all of us dreadfully sorry that this hard working man has lost his precious life.
It is clear however that the work he was doing was dangerous and he was taking risks, as he had previously confessed he had recently NEARLY drowned.
The wearing of life-jackets or lifelines are much like wearing seat-belts in cars… you never need them until ONE DAY….
The supervisors should be severely reprimanded for not ensuring the safety of this operative.
In the US/Canada we can see workers nailing boarding on inclined roofs high in the air and if they were to take a mis-step they would risk death in their fall. However the workers are protected by a simple piece of cloth webbing line and if this poor man had been wearing that cheap safety line, he would be alive today.
Come on Guyana… our workers are too precious to waste in this way!
Eyewitnesses told SN that his colleagues tryed to grab him but the rough
water pulled him under the middle door. It seems to me that a lifejacket
would of been of no use to Mr Hollingsworth’s, his co-workers was
right there, they tried but “Failed” rough water and current was too
strong.
Before making such recommendations let’s first know if d man died from drowning or from being hit while falling.
Life jackets nor life line would be of no use in such circumstances.
do not blame guyana, blame the company and individual for not implementing safety measures.
So sad, to hear how he met his death, how good a father/husband would help in every way, surely would be missed.
My Sympathy to all the Family and Friends..
Tragic that a man lost his life in the execution of his duties, but if he had a life jacket and was not wearing it then that is nedligence. However that sluice is more than or around 35 years old . I remember as a small boy we used to go there and watch the men build it. You can see from the condition that it is badly deteriorated and is in need of a complete make over and not maintanance.
my sympathy goes out to this family i hope the wife will find the strength to keep her going.
can’t understand how the pre-requisite for working in that field does not require idivuals to be able to swim. Also what safety measures if any are in place. Regadless – those currents at times are very storng even for very strong swimmers. They should require all workers to wear a safety vest. This should be mandatory. Such gross negligense and a senseless lost of life is unacceptable.
Please don’t crucify me “blogers” this is just my opinion
Dove, I am with you on this one,safety first all the time.
no i wont crucify you, because you are correct.
I absolutely agree that the ability to swim should be a pre-requisite for that type of job.
and you do express some great points too;
my condolences to the family, an honest man trying to make an honest living.
This is so sad, i never know working on these sluices could be so dangerous, my condolences goes out to the berkley family, just hold it up and be comforted and know that everything will be alright.
What safety measures were in place at the work site? He almost drown once, he should have taken all the precaution to preserve is life. This is just unfortunate and sad.
My sympathy to the family.
The death of this person could have been avoided if he had a life jacket and a safety harness Too often we see the risks Guyanese take to do their work related tasks. I have seen workers working on roofs and other height related jobs without a safety harness. This is a dangerous practice and it’s about time that laws should be passed to send some employers to jail for failing to provide PPE and training. In Canada there is such a law and employers don’t want to go to jail so they ensure that workers are properly protected.
Here in Canada, we call that DUE DILIGENCE. Under this law the supervisor, the manager even tthe owner of the company or entity is liable and could go to jail and pay a hefty fine for not making the worker use Proper Protective Equipment.