Five executives at a concreting company in Sharjah have been charged with negligence and breaching safety rules after a Pakistani man operating a mixer fell to his death while doing maintenance work.
The 39-year-old driver had climbed on top of the mixer to fix an air pipe and was sent flying by a loud explosion as he was removing the cover, Khaleej Times reported. He died from a fractured skull.
His co-worker, also a Pakistani, said the company provided employees with safety equipment, including a helmet, overalls and footwear, but the driver was not wearing these when he went to check on the pipe.
“My colleague went on top of the vehicle trying to fix the air vacuum pumps, but as he was trying to remove the cover I heard a loud explosion. I saw my colleague flying in the air and later found him on the ground, bleeding on his head,” the worker said.
A company official pleaded not guilty in Sharjah Misdemeanor Court after the executives were charged, denying that the firm carried any responsibility for the man’s death or had been negligent in any way.
The court requested that one of the victim’s family members produce a letter with power of attorney so compensation could be provided.