HCL: Burn victims not ignored

Responding to complaints by two workers, David Caesar, senior manager of Human Resource and Organisation Development told Newsday, “the company continues to show on a daily basis support for every individual who suffered from this incident. Every single day religiously”.

Five workers were burnt on April 20 at the construction site One Woodbrook Place when a rubber asphalt metre being prepared for use by subcontractors burst into flames. Four were hospitalised for treatment, two were in critical condition and required treatment at the Intensive Care Unit.

In an interview Caesar said the CEO of HCL has not visited the burnt workers but it was his direct responsibility to get involved in matters such as what happened.

“I am responsible for human resource for the entire group and I went to the hospital a number of times.”

Caesar said the human resource administrator for One Woodbrook Place has been providing formal written reports on the status of burn victims. He said one of the burn victims (Jeremiah Murray) has been referred to the Employee Assistance Programme and this programme will be extended to the family. Although a suggestion was made for the burn victims to be flown abroad for skin grafts, Caesar said the medical advice given to the company indicated that this was unnecessary since the procedure could be done in Trinidad.

In interviews on Wednesday Murray and Mazakoe Baptiste were upset about the severity of the burns received by colleagues Kerwin Grant and Glen Joseph and felt HCL was not showing enough care and concern. Grant and Joseph were discharged from the Intensive Care Unit and are now on Ward 12 PoSGH. Caesar said he was flabbergasted by this response since the company has been keeping in constant contact with the families of the burn victims.