31-year-old labourer electrocuted

Read Article

Comments (24)

This article is closed for comments.

Read Comments Comments (24)

Ato 10 years ago

The era of digging with pick axes were long gone I thought. A company in Accra emgages a labourer to dig a trench to lay internet cable, hits a live electrical cable and dies. Where is the company's culpability? Mother Ghana! ...
read full comment

The era of digging with pick axes were long gone I thought. A company in Accra emgages a labourer to dig a trench to lay internet cable, hits a live electrical cable and dies. Where is the company's culpability? Mother Ghana!!
DAN 10 years ago

in usa you call a number like 611 and a company will come out and mark electric cables and gas & water, telephone cables with spray paint on pavement or soil!

in usa you call a number like 611 and a company will come out and mark electric cables and gas & water, telephone cables with spray paint on pavement or soil!
GHFUO, BE SERIOUS NOT PRIDEFUL! 10 years ago

CANT U USE THE FORKS FROM THE CATERPILLARS TO DIG THESE TRENCHES? IT WILL BE FASTER N COST EFFICIENT. UNNECESSARY USE OF HUMAN ENERGY. WHAT PROTECTIVE DEVICES WERE AVAILABLE FOR THIS MAN? HIS FAMILY MUST SUE THE COMPANY FOR W ...
read full comment

CANT U USE THE FORKS FROM THE CATERPILLARS TO DIG THESE TRENCHES? IT WILL BE FASTER N COST EFFICIENT. UNNECESSARY USE OF HUMAN ENERGY. WHAT PROTECTIVE DEVICES WERE AVAILABLE FOR THIS MAN? HIS FAMILY MUST SUE THE COMPANY FOR WORKPLACE NEGLIGENCE...CAUSING DEATH.
RIP TO AKABAH....
Zee 10 years ago

Dan, you are right. In certain jurisdictions you need an excavation permit. This is Ghana for you.

Dan, you are right. In certain jurisdictions you need an excavation permit. This is Ghana for you.
blabla 10 years ago

don't forget you are in Ghana and people knows nothing.dont blame them.
who gonna mark those things??

don't forget you are in Ghana and people knows nothing.dont blame them.
who gonna mark those things??
Papa Quaisie Ampong Dadzie 10 years ago

With the current rate of industrial development in Ghana, one would have thought that, as a country, we would have revised our health, safety and environmental laws and make them more relevant to present day situations, and i ...
read full comment

With the current rate of industrial development in Ghana, one would have thought that, as a country, we would have revised our health, safety and environmental laws and make them more relevant to present day situations, and in line with technological advanecement. Currently, the only Health and Safety laws/regulations we have are those in the Factories Act and a few others scattered in other legislation such as the Mining Regulations and the Environmental Protection Agency Act.

Somewhere in 2011, I heard a new national policy and Act on Workplace heath and Safety was being formulated and, after two years, nothing has been heard.

We really need these new laws to place much more responsibility on employers to ensure they provide safe systems and places of work for our people, undertake adequate and sufficient risk assessments and relevant method statements, and be able to prosecute employers who fall afoul of the laws.

Such a law would have made it mandatory, or place an absolute duty on Comsys Company Limited, to check the area for underground services (such as live cables, water lines, CBTV, etc) by the use of simple and appropiate technology (e.g. Cable Detection Equipment). It is soo simple to prevent some of these workplace fatalities, but I wonder why stakeholders (i.e. Labour Commission, Chamber of Commerce, TUC, etc) seem not to care.

We always don't seem to get our priorities right - we have a national Road Safety Act and Commission, Its all a matter of amending the Act, broaden its horizon to include workplace safety. Let us together call for better health and Safety standards in our industries.

May your soul rest in peace, Edem Akabah. I just hope our ''lazy'' leaders will start acting and stop one more preventable death.
flo.. u.s 10 years ago

the family of this guy can make lots of money from this company cos somebody did not do his work well

the family of this guy can make lots of money from this company cos somebody did not do his work well
GREAT NANA ANTWI 10 years ago

are you in need of a fast powerfull spiritualist? www.greatnanapowerfullspiritualist.blogspot.com

are you in need of a fast powerfull spiritualist? www.greatnanapowerfullspiritualist.blogspot.com
EZEKIEL 10 years ago

Stupidity as usual!

Stupidity as usual!
koo 10 years ago

mr man have you raised deadbody before? JESUS is the only powerfull so give glory to him. did you know what tomorrow holds?

mr man have you raised deadbody before? JESUS is the only powerfull so give glory to him. did you know what tomorrow holds?
Vodoo Xebieso 10 years ago

Safety measures could have been put in place by his employers e.g. Wellington Boots and rubber hand gloves. His relations must sue his employers for negligence of employer's obligations to employees' safety.

May he rest in ...
read full comment

Safety measures could have been put in place by his employers e.g. Wellington Boots and rubber hand gloves. His relations must sue his employers for negligence of employer's obligations to employees' safety.

May he rest in peace.
Light 10 years ago

Exactly,am agree with you please are you capable of helping de family with this advice for the sake of God?

Exactly,am agree with you please are you capable of helping de family with this advice for the sake of God?
Kwesi 10 years ago

The directors of the company should be charged with corporate manslaughter for failing to do risk assessment for the job. They failed to identify presences of live underground cables

The directors of the company should be charged with corporate manslaughter for failing to do risk assessment for the job. They failed to identify presences of live underground cables
VINCEY,NJ 10 years ago

Unless the pick axe handle is metal, I wonder how the current was able to pass through the dry wooden handle which is the regular pick axe handle I feel much pain for this young life lost.

Unless the pick axe handle is metal, I wonder how the current was able to pass through the dry wooden handle which is the regular pick axe handle I feel much pain for this young life lost.
Nzema K 10 years ago

IF THE PICK Was wet it could affect him. remember we are in raining season

IF THE PICK Was wet it could affect him. remember we are in raining season
papillon 10 years ago

We don't observe or enforce health and safety regulations. We are all at risk.

We don't observe or enforce health and safety regulations. We are all at risk.
frank 10 years ago

the root of sin is money ....to get money is not easy at all.

the root of sin is money ....to get money is not easy at all.
Nana Yaw Frimpong - Asabre 10 years ago

O! O! O! Edem, a man came to do his best but not to finish it all , resurrection hope is there for u.

O! O! O! Edem, a man came to do his best but not to finish it all , resurrection hope is there for u.
Nzema K 10 years ago

was the area scanned with cable detector to locate any possible electric or Telephone cable burried eralier. or did they have a service map of the area.
Its Pity and sad to loose such hard working guy, but these are the chea ...
read full comment

was the area scanned with cable detector to locate any possible electric or Telephone cable burried eralier. or did they have a service map of the area.
Its Pity and sad to loose such hard working guy, but these are the cheap thing people do in construction, making construction work so cheap as if it is not worth going to university or polytechnic to learn construction management. I really feel bad for his family. BTW how much was comsys going to pay him for working in such an unfamiliar territory.
Papa Quaisie Ampong 10 years ago

With the current rate of industrial development in Ghana, one would have thought that, as a country, we would have revised our health, safety and environmental laws and make them more relevant to present day situations, and i ...
read full comment

With the current rate of industrial development in Ghana, one would have thought that, as a country, we would have revised our health, safety and environmental laws and make them more relevant to present day situations, and in line with technological advanecement. Currently, the only Health and Safety laws/regulations we have are those in the Factories Act and a few others scattered in other legislation such as the Mining Regulations and the Environmental Protection Agency Act.

Somewhere in 2011, I heard a new national policy and Act on Workplace heath and Safety was being formulated and, after two years, nothing has been heard.

We really need these new laws to place much more responsibility on employers to ensure they provide safe systems and places of work for our people, undertake adequate and sufficient risk assessments and relevant method statements, and be able to prosecute employers who fall afoul of the laws.

Such a law would have made it mandatory, or place an absolute duty on Comsys Company Limited, to check the area for underground services (such as live cables, water lines, CBTV, etc) by the use of simple and appropiate technology (e.g. Cable Detection Equipment). It is soo simple to prevent some of these workplace fatalities, but I wonder why stakeholders (i.e. Labour Commission, Chamber of Commerce, TUC, etc) seem not to care.

We always don't seem to get our priorities right - we have a national Road Safety Act and Commission, Its all a matter of amending the Act, broaden its horizon to include workplace safety. Let us together call for better health and Safety standards in our industries.

May your soul rest in peace, Edem Akabah. I just hope our ''lazy'' leaders will start acting and stop one more preventable death.
RAM 10 years ago

pickaxe has wooden handle???? A poor conductor of electricity. THIS NEED FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS. OUR POLICE ARE EITHER LAZY TO INVESTIGATE OR POOR IN REASONING SO THEY ARE ALWAYS READY TO ACCEPT ANY ILLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS

pickaxe has wooden handle???? A poor conductor of electricity. THIS NEED FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS. OUR POLICE ARE EITHER LAZY TO INVESTIGATE OR POOR IN REASONING SO THEY ARE ALWAYS READY TO ACCEPT ANY ILLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS
KOW Amisah 10 years ago

The authorities should learn from this case and come out with processes to prevent such avoidable deaths. The various local administrations should take the lead in conjunctions with various service providers

The authorities should learn from this case and come out with processes to prevent such avoidable deaths. The various local administrations should take the lead in conjunctions with various service providers
concern citizen 10 years ago

There we go again ,companies are allowed to carry out work in Ghana without any safety plans in place,and a result killing people ,I dont think any risk assessment was done prior to this task ,COMSYS COMPANY LIMITED must STOP ...
read full comment

There we go again ,companies are allowed to carry out work in Ghana without any safety plans in place,and a result killing people ,I dont think any risk assessment was done prior to this task ,COMSYS COMPANY LIMITED must STOP all activities immediately .
COS 90 10 years ago

May his soul rest in perfect peace. However, the family must take the company to court because the late Adika's family is suppose to be compensated heavily by the company.

May his soul rest in perfect peace. However, the family must take the company to court because the late Adika's family is suppose to be compensated heavily by the company.

31-year-old labourer electrocuted

Read Comments .st0{display:none;fill:#14BDD3;} .st1{display:none;} .st2{display:inline;fill:#FC0F0F;} .st3{display:inline;fill:#FFFFFF;} .st4{display:inline;fill:none;stroke:#000000;stroke-width:6;stroke-miterlimit:10;} Comments (24)

Read Comments Comments (24)