A 59-year-old construction worker was electrocuted yesterday after a crane being used to move piles for a housing project at ‘C’ Field, Sophia, came into contact with a live wire.
The deceased is Elroy Haynes, a father of five of Kiltairn Village, Corentyne, Berbice, who was undertaking infrastructure works under the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme.
Haynes was employed as a general foreman attached to Annirude Ramcharitar Construction Co, the entity which has been contracted by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) to complete works under the project.
The CH&PA, in a press statement issued yesterday, said that its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul will be launching an internal investigation to determine whether any safety standards were breached.
It said a report would also be made to the Labour Department of the Ministry of Social Protection.
According to the statement, at the time of the incident, Haynes and other workers were
in the process of moving construction piles from one location to another when a part of the crane which was being used to move the piles came into contact with a high voltage electric line.
As a result, Haynes was electrocuted.
“We are saddened by the death of Mr. Haynes, and we would like to offer our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues,” Saul was quoted as saying in the statement.
The CH&PA further noted that steps are currently being taken to ensure Haynes’ relatives and colleagues receive counselling.
Following the incident, Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing Annette Ferguson met with children of the deceased at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
