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A garage supervisor is on trial after a worker was killed instantly when a tyre he was filling with air exploded in his face.
The Bahraini man is on trial at the High Criminal Court, charged with negligence which allegedly led to the death of 21-year-old Pakistani labourer Zain Waheed.
Describing the gruesome incident, a medical examiner, who accompanied the forensic crew to the site, said: “The victim was seen lying on the ground, covered in blood, with a large hole in his forehead, the inner contents of his brain visible.
“He suffered from lacerations and tissue loss, along with fractures to his skull and the orbital region. Blood was spilling out of his head. He also sustained injuries in his hand and knee,” he added.
However, the defendant and a mechanic at the garage said that the victim had disobeyed orders by filling the tyre himself despite not being qualified to operate the device involved.
The accused, the son of a construction company owner, was charged with committing a mistake that resulted in the death of Mr Waheed, and neglecting his work duties.
He was also accused of not guaranteeing the safety of the worker, and not providing equipment which would have kept the victim safe.
The defendant denied the charges in court, stating that the required devices were provided, and that the untrained victim had acted on his own accord.
However, he did admit to not providing a wheel cage, which protects workers from such accidents, claiming he did not know that it was a requirement to have one installed.
“It was 12pm in the workshop when I heard a sudden noise, and saw Mr Waheed lying motionless on the floor, with blood everywhere,” a Bangladeshi mechanic, who was at the scene of the tragic accident, earlier testified.
“We were working on changing the punctured tire of a digging vehicle. We replaced the wheel, but I told the victim not to fill it with air. Such work wasn’t his speciality, as he was not a mechanic.
“He filled it up himself anyway, and it exploded.”
A welder, who also witnessed the accident, said that the tyre pump was working properly at the time, with no known malfunction.
A Public Prosecution report recommended that the defendant be held responsible for the alleged labour violation, since he was reportedly tasked with providing safety equipment.
“Occupational safety codes were not followed at the work site and a safe tyre pressure gauge was not provided, just a manual one, and no cage was provided either,” read the report.
Meanwhile, a Labour Ministry report also stated that Mr Waheed had decided to fill the tyre of his own accord despite other technicians deciding to work on it the following day.
Although the case was first heard in the Lower Criminal Court, it was moved to the High Criminal Court following an amendment in the Penal Code, which stipulated that such charges be heard in the latter.
Records show that the company operating the garage was founded in 1983, and is licensed to conduct contracting work related to excavation, demolition and reclamation.
The garage is dedicated for the maintenance of heavy construction vehicles used by the company. Mr Waheed’s body was repatriated to his hometown Kotli in northern Pakistan by the Pakistani Embassy, after his body was released to his Bahrain-based family.
His personal affects – a phone and a wallet – were handed over to his 48-year-old father.
Judges adjourned the trial to October 14, when a verdict will be issued.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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