RADHICA DE SILVA
Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Perenco has shut down crane operations as the Occupational Safety and Health Authority Agency (OSHA) started investigations into the crane collapse at Perenco’s Samaan Alpha Drilling Platform, urging employers, particularly those operating in high-risk industries, to provide safe and healthy working environments for employees.
OSHA said its inspectorate was reviewing available incident footage, operational records, documentation and other evidence to determine the cause of Wednesday’s incident, in which a crane became detached from its pedestal during lifting operations and fell, injuring the operator.
The agency said it would verify all relevant evidence before making any determination about the circumstances surrounding the incident or whether any occupational safety and health requirements had been breached.
OSHA confirmed that Perenco’s emergency response team had been activated and the injured operator safely retrieved.
The worker was transported ashore for medical assessment and has since been discharged from hospital.
The agency said further investigative activities would include desktop audits, a review of crane operator duties and validation of crane certifications across operations in the Teak, Samaan and Poui (TSP) fields, with the aim of mitigating the risk of similar incidents.
OSHA said it understood that Perenco had suspended crane operations across its sites following the incident while the matter was being assessed.
“At this stage, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the incident, the factors that may have contributed to it, or whether any breach of occupational safety and health requirements occurred,” the agency said.
It added that any determination would be based on evidence gathered and the findings of its investigation.
The agency said it remained committed to carrying out its statutory mandate independently and impartially, adding that further information would be provided where appropriate without compromising the integrity of the investigation or any related proceedings.
The investigation comes as trade unions and workers in the energy sector complained about inadequate safety measures, including the provision of personal protective equipment, fatigue management and the victimisation of employees who raise concerns about poor working conditions.
Among those raising concerns was the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU), which called for the suspension of crane transfers of personnel wherever the safety of such operations has not been independently verified.
BIGWU said it was relieved that the injured worker had received medical treatment and had been discharged from hospital.
However, it said the incident raised serious questions about the safety and integrity of crane operations, particularly where cranes were used to transfer personnel between offshore platforms and vessels.
“The safety of workers is not negotiable, and no operational requirement, production target or commercial consideration can take precedence over the preservation of human life,” the union said.
BIGWU said Perenco had pointed out in its response to enquiries that the injured worker was not a union member. The union said this was irrelevant to the fundamental issue of occupational safety and health, stressing that its concerns extended to all workers in hazardous environments, regardless of union membership or employment status.
The union called for a thorough investigation into the collapse to establish its root cause and determine whether similar defects or operational deficiencies existed in other cranes operating throughout the Angostura Field.
It also called on the company to engage meaningfully with BIGWU, as the recognised majority union, and provide relevant investigation findings, safety assessments and corrective measures, subject to applicable legal requirements.
Meanwhile, in a letter to the editor, some workers in the energy sector complained of long working hours, contractual disagreements, no bonus payments, disciplinary action relating to sick leave and the alleged victimisation of employees who raised safety concerns.
They also alleged that some workers had been pressured to continue working despite reporting fatigue and had been assigned duties outside their job descriptions without what they considered appropriate accredited training.
The workers called on the Minister of Energy to intervene and initiate a formal investigation into the labour issues they described.
