Duke: Questions to be answered on Paria divers' 'very troubling' deaths

Deputy Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Watson Duke believes more could have been done to save the lives of the men involved in the Paria divers' tragedy.

On Friday, Christopher Boodram, Fyzal Kurban, Rishi Nagassar, Kazim Ali Jr and Yusuf Henry were doing maintenance work when they were sucked into a 36-inch underwater crude oil pipeline off Pointe-a-Pierre. Boodram was rescued that same day by diver Ronald Ramoutar. The bodies of three other of the men have been recovered to date.

In a Facebook live broadcast on Monday, Duke, former head of the Public Services Association, called for justice.

On what could have been done to save the men, he said: “What was the risk assessment done prior to these workers going into that 36-inch tank, that three-feet tank that could barely hold their body or that pipeline? What was the risk assessment, and what safety measures were put in place should something go wrong?

"What was the response time? Is there a method statement for entering and exiting such pipe? Who was actually supervising the operations?

"It's hard to think that someone just flicked a switch when a major operation is taking place that would have cost four persons their lives.”

Asking whether Paria was responsible, he said there were serious and troubling issues.

"Does the State take responsibility beyond the grave, or do they implement some technique that would find them loose from the court’s escape and they continue?"

He sent his condolences to the men's families, adding, "I ask you to reach out to me if there is anything you think I can do to help. We need to share each other’s burdens and I am willing to share whatever aspect I could share to ensure that justice is brought.

"This must not be some kind of cook-up something. We want justice, because justice is the only thing that could satisfy us in the face of our loss. Justice must prevent this sick joke from repeating itself.”

He said it is very troubling to him that human life and in particular the lives of workers are not taken seriously in this country. He said he has been a great proponent for health and safety and demanded that employers make the workplace safe.

“I wish to renew these demands. You cannot take a person’s life as if it's toilet paper, to be used and flushed down the toilet. You can’t take a person’s life as if it was a movie. Every single life counts, and though it is not you, you must feel the pain, you must ask yourself; what happened to that son who expects his father to come home, or that father who expects his son to come home, or that wife who expects her husband to come home.”

He said people must stand up and mourn the death of these four workers.

“They were not skylarking, they were doing their jobs. It is the management who did not do their job. While these workers are working, management ought to put everything in place to protect these lives of the workers.”

He said the Health and Safety Act section six, said every single employer has the duty,in so far as it is reasonable and practicable, to ensure the safety, the health and the welfare of all employees while they are at work. In this case, he said, the employer failed to do so.

“I want to appeal to the workers of this nation: please, if you are entering a situation and you think it's unsafe, do not enter. You have the right to refuse, so do not think that by taking risk and putting your life on the (line) that the employer loves you more. If you die, you would be replaced, It’s your family that will miss you most.”

He questioned how the chairman, CEO and workers of Pariacould sleep, when people going about the business of the company, who made it their duty to show up for work and to carry out their duties, died while doing so.

“How could anyone sleep? One thing: death is always untimely; and another thing: it doesn’t matter how persons die, you could never get used to death.”