Worker critical in onsite mishap

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A worker was dragged into the cement mixer.

A Pakistani construction worker survived having his throat cut by the rotating mechanism of cement mixer at a site on Amwaj Islands in Bahrain on Friday.

Mohammed Younus, 50, also suffered a fractured jaw and severe cuts to his hands when a piece of cloth worn around his neck got caught in the gears of a cement mixer and dragged him in.

Younus was taken to Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) and underwent an emergency operation to stop the bleeding from his throat and a second operation to repair his chin.

On Monday he was still in the intensive care unit, according to his nephew Mushtaq Ahmed.

"We are very worried about him, he has a wife, three daughters and four sons back in Pakistan," Ahmed said.

The Pakistan Embassy said Younus arrived in Bahrain two months ago and was getting paid US $212 (AED800) a month as an operator of the readymix machine.

Bahrain's Labour Ministry health and safety head, Abdulla Al Makki, said the accident could have been avoided if health and safety precautions were adhered to.

"Our primary investigation shows that he was greasing the gears of the mixer when the accident happened, but he was not wearing any safety equipment or helmet," he said.

"He was wearing a cloth around his neck because the early morning is quite cold, but this is dangerous, especially since the gears were not screened by proper guarding.

"These are considered routine and simple machines, but it should have also been turned off."

Makki said the foreman at the site is also to blame for not providing adequate supervision. The site is operated by Skyline Contractors.

The accident further highlights Bahrain's construction safety record after a string of workplace fatalities and accidents this year, worker advocates said.

Last week 11 men were injured after being dropped in an elevator from the second floor of the Abraj Al Lulu development.

The men were allegedly being used as weights as the lift was manually lowered from the 45th floor.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Keep covering these stories!
Posted by Safiyah on Wednesday 17 December 2008 at 15:24 UAE time


I'm glad to see that a top Gulf Business magazine is covering issues relating to labourer safety. all too often we forget who it is that actually builds the impressive real estate projects we see around us, and what dire conditions they have to work in. I hope Bahrain can now take the lead in ensuring that workers get proper safety provision on site

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