Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
RICKARDS
PRESIDENT OF the All-Island Jamaica Cane Farmers Association, Alan Rickards, is again expressing concern about safety procedures at the island's sugar factories, as the sector begins another reaping season.
His concerns follows seven accident-related deaths at some sugar factories earlier this year.
Consequently, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security asked the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to conduct an audit of the safety measures at the island's sugar factories.
To date, the public is yet to know the findings or recom-mendations of that audit which was conducted in July.
DELAY
When contacted, Neville Moodie, director of indus-trial safety in the Labour Ministry, said he was still awaiting the results of the safety audit from the ILO.
But Mr. Rickards is taking issue with the protracted delay. "We are wondering too why it was taking so long (for the report to be submitted). The fact of the matter is that some people lost their lives," he said in response to questions from The Gleaner about the report.
"This report is too long in forthcoming. We are starting another crop season this month ... I know that the bureaucracy is slow but there should be some urgency," he said.
Factory deaths
Twenty-three-year-old technician, Kajel Insang, died in an explosion on the Long Pond Estate in Trelawny.
Three weeks later, in April, the death of 29-year-old machinist, Lloyd Campbell, who fell into a sugar bin on the Appleton Estate in St. Elizabeth, heightened concerns.
And in June, the figure climbed after five Indian nationals perished in a fire at the Monymusk Sugar Factory in Clarendon.
