US experts to probe crash

International experts will be coming to TT to get to the bottom of what caused the scaffolding accident at the site of the new Customs and Excise building on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain on Wednesday, Udecott chairman Calder Hart disclosed at a Public Accounts Enterprises Committee (PAEC) meeting in Parliament yesterday.

More than 20 men were injured, one of them lost a leg, when the scaffolding on which they were working crashed to the ground. Udecott (Urban Development Corporation of TT) is the manager of the project, and NH International is the contractor.

One day after the accident, Hart and other Udecott officials appeared before the parliamentary committee and it was chairman, Wade Mark, who raised the matter at the beginning of the meeting.

“Mr Hart, very early, we want some clarification on what caused the scaffolding accident,” Mark said. Hart, who said he visited the site shortly after the accident, replied, “How it happened is something we really want to the get to the bottom of very quickly.”

Noting that it was “of great concern to the Udecott people,” he further disclosed, “United States experts would be coming to TT to conduct investigations. And people in the Labour Ministry would assist, as well.

“We don’t want to rush judgements about what happened. We want the experts to determine that.”

Mark wanted to know whether there were any international standards for scaffolding safety and, if so, whether Udecott ensured that contractors they engaged followed those standards. Noting that work has since stopped around the area of the accident, Hart said, “Every project is different. There’s no one solution to fix all. There are projects of lower and higher densities.”

He said NH International has been doing occupational health and safety seminars with its workers.

Hart also told the committee that Michael Annisette, president of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union, is a member of Udecott’s board of directors.

Mark repeated his question about whether there were international scaffolding safety standards but Hart referred it to Udecott chief construction officer, Winston Chin Fong.

“The contractor, NH International, has its own safety officers,” Chin Fong said. “And in a sense, yes, safety rules are applied on the site.”

But not willing to let the matter rest so easily, Mark told the Udecott officials that newspaper reports on the accident were disturbing. He wanted Hart to say whether heavy rainfall, and vibrations from piling work done near the site, caused the scaffolding to fall. Hart said the foundation of the scaffolding was concrete, and rainfall had very little to do with it collapsing.

“The main thing is to wait for the results of the investigations,” he insisted.

But Mark persisted. He wanted to know if the company made provisions for injured workers who may need special treatment abroad.

“The contractor would ensure that all workers have insurance policies, and would provide all their needs,” Hart replied.