Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
AN AUTOPSY is to be conducted on the bodies of three Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) employees who died in a well at the company's Old Harbour Bay plant last Saturday.
This is according to the relatives of 34-year-old Woodford Brown, one of the three men who died in the tragic incident. The other two were identified as Arthur Williams and Owen Townsend.
"A lady at JPS told us this morning (Tuesday) that the autopsy would be done next week," said Claudia Brown, one of Brown's sisters, who also disclosed that since the death of her brother, the family has been approached by a number of lawyers.
In the meantime, an investigation into last Saturday's tragedy at the light and power company's Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine sub-station is likely to last for an indefinite period.
THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
"We want a thorough investigation, so it may last as long as it is necessary," JPS Director of External Affairs, Tony Rae, informed The Gleaner yesterday.
He said that a five-member team from Mirant Corporation, the parent company, began a probe shortly after arriving in the island on Sunday. They are working in collaboration with three local JPS staff members.
According to Mr. Rae, the JPS has been providing counselling for both its staff at the Old Harbour Bay plant and the relatives of the deceased. A release from the JPS said that at the time of the incident, the men were assigned to carry out duties on a section of the plant that pulls water from the sea for cooling the generating units.
The ministries of Labour and Health are also conducting independent investigations into the incident. In a statement yesterday, the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) urged the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Horace Dalley, to accelerate the long-awaited bill amending the Occupational Health and Safety Act to protect Jamaican workers.
