Aftermath of scaffolding accident

NO WORK will be undertaken at the Customs and Excise building site on Wrightson Road until the Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Udecott) gives the green light for the project’s resumption. This word yesterday from NH International Caribbean Ltd executive chairman Emile Elias. However even as Elias made this statement yesterday, workers were seen at the site working on scaffolding.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister Danny Montano yesterday said investigations into last week’s accident at the site in which 20 workers were injured were continuing apace. He said any person or persons determined to be responsible for that incident would be dealt with.

Last week, 20 workers were injured at the site when a scaffolding collapsed.

When Newsday visited the site yesterday morning at about 10 am, there was no activity on the site. Elias, who had been hoping for a phased resumption of work at the site early this week, said no work would resume on the building until Udecott gives the all clear for work to proceed.

However when Newsday visited the site at about 3 pm, workers were seen on scaffolding located on the western side of the building.

When informed about this, Elias said those workers were working on the scaffolding and not on the building.

He reiterated that no work will take place at the Customs building until NHIC receives word from Udecott.

Elias had no idea whether the workers would be paid during the time when no work is happening on the site since all of the workers were not employed by NHIC.

Udecott communications manager Danielle Jones yesterday said the work stoppage order was issued by the project’s site manager Turner Alpha pending the completion of an investigation into last week’s accident.

She added that work would resume once the investigation is completed and all safety issues have been addressed..

Elias said he still has received no word from the investigators about what could have caused the scaffolding to collapse.

Contacted late yesterday afternoon, Montano said it was still too early to say what caused last week’s accident.

He said labour ministry inspectors, Works and Transport Ministry engineers and foreign specialists brought in by Udecott were working feverishly on the case and looking at the accident from a plethora of angles.

The minister however reiterated that if anyone is found to be responsible for that incident, they would not escape unscathed.

“No one is going to get away,” Montano said.