The tragic death of Allanlane Ramkissoon, after an incident at NiQuan Energy Trinidad Limited last Thursday, requires not only a quick and proper investigation but full public disclosure as well.
From the little facts that have emerged so far, it appears that Ramkissoon, who is attached to Massy Energy Engineered Solutions Limited, encountered a process leak where naphtha sprayed onto the worker and he became engulfed in flames.
As Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) Pointe-a-Pierre branch president, Christopher Jackman, sought to explain, Ramkissoon was advised by persons on site to jump from where he was, but those below failed to catch him properly and he sustained further injuries by falling onto the floor.
He died Sunday in Colombia, where he was taken for treatment of the burns he sustained in the accident.
Jackman’s account has given the public a little more background than the company’s statement, which so far has only described what took place as a “flashfire.”
NiQuan, as required, has begun an investigation into the tragedy. So too has the Ministry of Energy.
The company, of course, is now facing a serious credibility issue, given that this is the second major incident it has experienced in just two years, following the massive explosion at its gas-to-liquids plant in Pointe-a-Pierre in April 2021.
Back then, NiQuan suffered a serious equipment failure during the start-up of the hydrocracker system, which resulted in the blowout of the DA-301 system—part of the product cleaning process—leading to a fire.
There were no casualties then as tragically there is now.
Investigators will no doubt look for any similarities in the two incidents, but from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s account in Parliament yesterday, it doesn’t appear that the public will be given all the facts.
After the April 2021 explosion, the Ministry of Energy Industries requested a full report which Dr Keith Rowley has now said - on the advice his Cabinet has received—cannot be made public because NiQuan is not a public entity but a private one.
Both NiQuan and the Energy Ministry must understand that this does not sit well with a public still hurting over the February 2022 Paria Fuel pipeline tragedy.
The demarcation that determined the public’s right to know following the 2021 explosion most certainly cannot be the same in this case, with the tragic gravity of a loss of life attached to it.
NiQuan’s ability to regain stakeholder and investor confidence hinges on transparency.
The Government must also take the required legislative steps to ensure a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to Ramkissoon’s death if it wishes to reassure the population that all is well at the plant.
NiQuan may be a private player in the energy sector, but the State is still the overall regulator responsible for ensuring all safety protocols are adhered to at all times, thus ensuring the safety of all workers at the facility as well as the protection of residents in the surrounding communities. This oversight becomes even more important in the wake of this latest incident.
