T&TEC on worker’s death: We were not negligent

Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) officials yesterday denied allegations company negligence had led to the deaths of five workers over the past 11 months. At a press conference on Sunday, Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget accused T&TEC senior management of lax adherence to safety regulations and “collusion” with regulatory agencies and errant contractors. In response, T&TEC communications manager Anabelle Brasnell said the company could not be accused of negligence, as it had made extensive upgrades to its health and safety rules and regulations in January, in consultation with both the union and the Occupational Safety and Health Authority. 

 

The OWTU has threatened the company with strike action if demands for proper investigations into the death of employees are not met. The call came after contract worker Gayadeen Lokhoor died while on the job Saturday morning. Brasnell said each death had a “different scenario” and that T&TEC was doing what it could to ensure employees and contracted workers were properly trained. She added that the company had hired extra safety inspectors and increased routine safety audits. She said contractors were not required to pass an exam before they started work. A committee has been formed to investigate Lokhoor’s death.