Worker attacked by bees on TSTT tower

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) General Secretary Joanne Ogeer wants the Telecommunications Services of TT (TSTT) to provide maintenance records for its cell towers after a worker was allegedly left stranded for hours on one due to a bee attack.

On Sunday a video circulating social media showed a seemingly unconscious man in orange coveralls being lowered from a tower. It said he was unconscious for hours, however, Ogeer was unable to confirm this. In response to the incident, TSTT said it occurred on Friday with an external contractor at one of its cell sites in Carapichaima.

The company's release also confirmed the bee attack. It said once it became aware of the situation, the company’s Safety and Security teams engaged with the contractor to coordinate assistance using established protocols for such an incident. It said the three contractors were taken for treatment with one still hospitalised for observation.

"TSTT is committed to safety and security at all our work sites. The contractor will report the matter to the OSH agency in keeping with the requirements of the act. TSTT's acting CEO Kent Western has since spoken with the contractor, Huawei, and extended all considerations to the employees involved," the release said.

While Ogeer said the union was grateful no life was lost in the incident, she called for the company's health and safety department to answer for the incident. She said a lack of maintenance on the towers led to the bees taking up home in them.

"Network infrastructure requires an intensive maintenance regime in order for it to effectively deliver service and meet the expectations of its customers. The Union intimated this inarguable fact prior to the unwarranted retrenchments of 2018 and 2022. It is the same 'penny wise and pound foolish' approach that our members have to endure and, in some cases, refuse to work in facilities with poor ventilation due to non-functional air-conditioning units, low to no visibility because of lighting issues, deteriorating infrastructure that house equipment, even inaccessibility due to sites being overrun with grass and the risk of the overgrown bushes being inhabited by undesirable occupants just as bees took residence atop a tower," she said.

"This is due to a skeletal health and safety department and a Maintenance Expenditure Committee that lacks the capacity to properly evaluate what is necessary for the smooth operation of TSTT. One is left to imagine if internal stakeholders receive this treatment, it is no surprise when a less than desirable experience is encountered by customers and external stakeholders."

She called on the company to provide maintenance records for these towers which will prove the union's point. She said prior to the retrenchment exercise, spraying for bees was done quarterly but now it is only done on an "as needs basis."

"This retrenchment exercise was a sham and a total failure, this depleted the organisation of skilled labour and due to natural attrition the headcount further depleted."