Crane operator crushed to death at Tepui Group’s worksite

Last Updated on Thursday, 5 October 2023, 22:05 by Denis Chabrol

A day after the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) failed to say what experience the one-year-old Tepui Group Inc. has in construction that resulted in the award of an GY$865.5 million contract to build a pump station, a crane operator died in an incident at a shore-base that is under construction at Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The Guyana P0lice Force said 34-year-old Shawn Anthony Joseph of Number 76 Village, Corentyne, Berbice was killed at 49 Parker Street, Providence at about 11:30 Thursday morning when the crane toppled. “The crane toppled on the wharf, which caused Shawn Joseph to jump out of the operating area of the Crane and fell on the wharf and was pinned by the crane,” police said. Emergency Medical Technicians and a doctor arrived on the scene and pronounced that Joseph was dead.

At the time of the incident, Joseph was reportedly operating the crane fitted with a hammer to drive concrete piles at the shorebase that is being constructed for Hadi’s World, a company that is owned by Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohammed.

The Ministry of Labour, up to Thursday night, did not say whether it was investigating the incident but Tepui Group director, Mikhail Rodrigues said the Labour Ministry was informed and its investigators were informed. “We’ve been on par with all safety regulations and requirements but obviously the investigation by the police and the Ministry of Labour will vindicate us,” Mr Rodrigues told RD Productions.  He said there was “some movement with the footing of the pile and the crane tilted”.

Police said Tepui Group Inc was contracted to build a wharf on the eastern bank of the Demerara River at 49 Parker Street, Providence. The directors are Winston Martindale, Paul Rodrigues, Mikhail Rodrigues, Sunnil Bhagwandin and Francis Arokium (Secretary).

Investigators were informed that several persons were employed with that company.  At the time of the operation, according to police, Joseph was alone in the crane while his brothers, Devon De Santos,43, a groundsman of Number 50 Village, Corentyne, and Nigel Bourne,34, a groundsman of Number 50 Village, Corentyne, and other workers were nearby.

Tepui Group Inc’s name has been in the news in recent days concerning the award of a GY$865.5 million contract to build a pumping station at Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara.

In response to criticisms by opposition parliamentarians Ganesh Mahipaul and David Patterson about that contract award, NPTAB on Wednesday said GY$865.5 million said 13 of the 26 bids for the construction of the Belle Vue Pump Station project were deemed non-responsive and so were not considered for award and in the end Tepui was the third lowest priced responsive bidder. “Clearly, therefore, merely looking at the bid price announced at the opening of the bid cannot be used to adjudge the winning bidder and, worst yet, be used to impugn the integrity of the evaluation process and subsequent award of the contract,” NPTAB said.

While NPTAB said no competing bidder has registered any objections, Mr Patterson has asked the constitutional Public Procurement Commission to probe why the contract was awarded to Tepui Group Inc on grounds that it did not meet the requirements of the bid documents to have a completed projects of a similar nature and size within the last three years because that company was established in August 2022.