A construction manager has been sentenced to three months in prison after being found partially responsible for the death of a worker who was installing roofing on a warehouse.
The court heard that the labourer had been fixing metal sheets at a height of 12m when a strong gust of wind struck, causing one of the sheets to blow back onto him.
The impact caused him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, resulting in fatal injuries.
Indian labourer Binu Divakarin, 45, died from the fall, and the construction manager was convicted of failing to guarantee his safety or ensure he was properly secured with a safety harness.
However, the court heard that Mr Divakarin had momentarily unhooked his harness to move to a different area of the site and had intended to reattach it when the fatal accident occurred.
The Indian defendant faced 10 charges at the High Criminal Court, including committing a mistake that resulted in the death of a labourer working under him.
He was accused of failing to confirm that Mr Divakarin was wearing his harness, failing to provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent falls, and failing to inform the victim of the risks associated with the job and the measures required to stay safe.
Additional charges included not assessing or evaluating risks on the site – a step that would have indicated that a harness was essential – and not abiding by regulations designed to protect workers from adverse weather, strong winds or harsh sunlight.
He was further charged with not providing necessary scaffolding and ladders, and not ensuring that work at height commenced only when the proper PPE was in use.
“The workers were building a metal structure to instal metal sheeting on top, to complete the roof of a warehouse in Markuban, Sitra,” read the verdict.
“The victim was securing the metal sheet at a height of 12m when strong winds caused it to shift and fall onto him.
“He wasn’t wearing a safety harness and so he lost his balance and fell. The impact killed him.”
A colleague of the victim, a Pakistani metal worker, testified that he saw the victim fall and recounted that emergency services soon came and took him to Salmaniya Medical Complex but he died.
“He was wearing a harness, but he removed it from its anchor to go to another place on the site when he fell,” the Pakistani said.
A Labour Ministry report on the accident corroborated this account.
The court heard that the victim was a certified boom and scissor lift operator, licensed to operate mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs).
Judges granted the defendant a BD100 bail while the appeals process goes on, and did not rule to deport him after completing his sentence.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))