The Builders and Contractors Association of Dominica (BCAD) wishes to express its deepest condolences with the family and friends of Mr Hails Honoré of Vieille Case who lost his life as a result of a construction related accident at Picard Portsmouth yesterday 23rd October 2014.
We extend this sympathy in a special way to his son Travis Honoré, who we understood got injured in the process of trying to save his father.
It is with much sadness that we learnt about this preventable occurrence in which Mr Hails Honoré lost his life. At least over the last five (5) years BCAD and a few of its active members have been trying to highlight the need to pay more attention to health and safety in the work place.
This unfortunate incident is a time to review the status of occupational health and safety in Dominica with special attention to the construction sector. Any accident is one too many. Accidents have real negative impacts on the economy. Accidents affect the individual’s ability to continue to be a productive contributor of the workforce, and therefore, affect his ability to continue to make a contribution to the financial well being of the family.
In addition, accidents impose real costs on social security, the health services and the employer. Generally, research show that the cost of improvement in occupational health and safety is less than the cost of accidents to the economy and society.
BCAD once again finds it necessary to repeat its several requests and pronouncement toward this end. Although a few construction companies have OH&S policies and practices in place, the vast majority of construction workers and professionals work without any OH&S provisions. In order to reduce accidents in the workplace there has to be more collaboration among the private sector, civil society and public sector in this area. We recognised the efforts about a year ago of the Ministry of Labour in that area, but that just did not go far enough.
The following are required to significantly improve the occupational health and safety environment in Dominica:
-1. Issue 1: OH&S is not cost in the project. Solution: Hold Owners of projects legally responsible for the OH&S environment of a project. Few contractors will include OH&S cost in their bid as this increases the cost and may cause them to lose the tender. If everyone is required to include this cost, lives will be saved.
-2. Issue 2: Our legislation needs to be modernized. Solution: Enact appropriate legislation which will propose criminal penalise for lost of life on worksites, and hold employers, consultants and owners responsibly for OH&S breaches. The government should have an OH&S inspectorate which can issue instant fines and penalties for breaches including the power to stop work on sites where worker safety is compromised. The Employment Safety Act of 1983 is out-dated and not enforced. In the interim, the numbers of safety officers as provide for under Section 8, should be increased.
-3. Issue 3: Duties and taxes on personal protective equipment (PPE) are too high. Solution: Eliminate the high duties and taxes, including VAT on goggles, steel toe shoes, coveralls, gloves, dust masks, safety harness and fall arrester, and other safety equipment. The revenue lost from this reduction in duties and taxes on PPE is likely to be much less than the current the cost to our health services and social security.
BCAD once again calls on all stakeholders to collaborate with us on improving the occupational health and safety environment in Dominica. The Consultative Advisory Committee provide for under Section 7 of the current Act, at which BCAD has made some efforts in activating, should probably be an early step in this effort.
BUILDING CODE!!!
Too late for those that are gone , but this will protect future casualties. Safety first. Protect yourselves.
Endorsed 100%. btw safety helmets and high visibility vests should be added to that list.
Condolences to the Family of the decease Mr. Honore.
I’ve realized that it’s only when something drastic happens to the wrong person that something is being done. Let’s see whats going to come out of this accident and the plea BCAD has been making for yearss.
Many construction workers are careless and they call the careful ones ‘capon’ coward.
Who is Hails from Vieille Case? sad to hear.
I can clearly remember some building projects done in Dominica by a religious organization. There were guidelines to be followed, including guidelines on health and safety. These same guidelines I understood, are used by them on all their building projects around the earth. Every morning the health and safety guidelines were read to all the workers present. The need for proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as proper footwear, hard-hats, gloves etc.. was always stressed. This was very amazing seeing that we construction workers pay so little attention to our personal protective equipment. Our local builders, contractors & workers should take a page from their example.
Couldn’t agree with BRAD more. Tony and the rest of the membership, keep speaking up. We don’t give OSH and PPE enough attention in the workplace. And it’s not just in construction. The food and restaurant industry are major violators; where a wet floor can lead to slips and slides and injured backs. I hope too late shall not be our cry. One life lost is too much! We have an OSH expert on island. Use him!
Rest in peace my friend i know you we from the same village condolence to the family
Any accident/ incident on a construction site is one too many. The loss of life on a construction site is definitely a cause for concern. An immediate investigation should be launched into the causes of the accident and steps should be taken to prevent or significantly reduce the possibility of such accident (s) happening again. The BCAD must lead the charge to press the powers that be to change the laws governing occupational health and safety in Dominica. All aspects of OH&S must be incorporated into these laws.
As a certified construction site safety supervisor and safety technician I support the BCAD in their quest to improve all levels of industrial and construction safety in my homeland.
Did someone ask about credentials? YES I am OSHA (Occupational safety and Health Administration USA) and National Centers for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certified along with HOVENSA ( Hess oil refinery) certified. We must bring all our safety laws into the 21st century.
Guidelines are needed to govern the construction industry in order to minimize such accidents. One is too much. Construction workers should receive the necessary training and certification in safety and security before they venture near a work site. Appropriate clothing, hard hats and safety shoes should be warn at all times.
I posted a comment on the remarks made by Ambrose George regarding Edison James’ safety concerns and if we are talking about the need to take safety matters very seriously then surely we need to irradiated the mentality of Ambrose George towards safety. ” It is not like a plane is going to fall from the sky” this was Ambrose George response on the safety concerns at airport. Can we even depend on the legislature to implimented health and safety standards when such a statement is coming from a seasoned politician like Ambrose.
I am 100% in support of the proposal but we must admit that getting our people on board with OSHA is a humongous task and will require not just legislative changes but there must be cultural adjustments.
The focus must not be about PPE or on site management practice. There must be a more comprehensive approach. For example It would be counter productive for a contractor to enforce PPE on the job site and at the end of the day the same contractor pack his workers into the back of his pickup truck and drive them to their destination. The same contractor have guys joy riding operating equipment or having trucks delivering material uncovered.
Take for example the nurse who git electrocuted while operating the dialysis machine at the PMH- why because of a faulty chord which the PMH operation knew about.
Those of us who are conscious of occupational safety may have countless stories and observations that we experience in Dominica – not just safety disregard but also environmental disregard.
Sincerest and heartfelt condolences to the Honore family.