NUGFW wants full probe into WASA worker’s death

National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) president James Lambert is concerned that the open trench in which WASA worker Kern Ettienne died was filled in before the OSH Authority had a chance to examine it.

Lambert said he wants a full, fair and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led to the death Ettienne, a member of the union.

“It must not be covered up like they covered up the trench in which he died,” Lambert said in a phone interview with the Newsday on Thursday.

Lambert, who was in Tobago, said he was unaware whether a member of the NUGFW was part of the investigating team, as is usually the case when incidents like this happens.

“To be frank, the management of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), has not been co-operative with the union, in this and other matters,” he claimed. “We have written to them on so many occasions, requesting meetings, but they are not co-operative. I am very doubtful they might want us on this investigating committee.”

Lambert said he was shocked to learn the trench was covered immediately after Ettienne’s death.

“Everything should have remained as is until investigations were properly done. The union will be very instrumental in ensuring that nothing is covered up and that his family gets justice.”

Asked about the filling of the trench, WASA’s communications manager Daniel Plenty said, “I am not at liberty to provide any comments on this matter, as there's an active investigation ongoing.”

Plenty said there were no further updates he could share with the media.

In a paid advertisement, the union expressed condolences to Ettienne's friends, family, and co-workers.

Saying he was a valued part of the union’s membership, Lambert, in the advertisement, called on WASA's management “to ensure that proper safety measures are put in place so workers can be productive and function efficiently without having to face unsafe conditions and hazards that could be avoided through proper management and the adherence to the principles of decent work.”

The union said it hopes the death of Ettienne, who leaves behind a wife and two children, would set in motion deliberate steps to improve the working conditions of the colleagues he left behind.

From her home at Embacadere, San Fernando, Ettienne’s mother Joyce Grant-Roberts continued to insist yesterday, “All I want is justice for my son.”

She believes negligence was a factor in his death.

Ettienne's spine was broken in two places when a mound of dirt collapsed and trapped him in a trench while he was working on emergency repairs on a sewer line at Rienzi Kirton Highway, San Fernando, last Sunday.

An autopsy at the Point Fortin hospital on Wednesday by Dr Arlene Rampersad showed the primary cause of death was the transection of the thoracic spine.

Ettienne, who worked with WASA for 17 years as a craftsman, will be laid to rest at the Roodal Cemetery, San Fernando on Monday, after a funeral at 2 pm at the Embacadere Community Centre, according to Spiritual Baptist rites.

WASA and the Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency (OSHA) are doing separate investigations into the incident.