By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries has launched an investigation into the death of a man doing maintenance work at a plant owned by Ni Quan Energy Trinidad Ltd.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said on Tuesday the incident that eventually claimed the life of Allanlane Ramkissoon was tragic.
After suffering burned injuries to 40 per cent of his body on June 15, Ramkissoon died on Father’s Day at a specialist centre in Colombia.
Speaking in Parliament, Dr Rowley said, “The ministry’s investigation team has been established and notification was given earlier today via a release from the ministry on the composition of the team.”
He also said, “It is much too early for the ministry to determine what was the root cause of this very tragic incident and therefore no conclusions could be drawn at this time.”
Dr Rowley also said once the circumstances and the legal authorities permitted, the relevant minister would make the commitment to reveal certain information.
He also said he was not in a position to answer questions on the preservation of the accident site based on establishments by the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA).
Dr Rowley was being asked several questions by the Opposition on the status of investigation reports into the privately owned company.
He was further asked to clarify the legal basis on which the Ministry of Energy conducts its investigations if the report arising from that cannot be made public or placed in the public domain.
Dr Rowley, “Depending on which report and the nature of the report, then if it can be made public under the specific authorities then it will be, if on the other hand the report coming from the comapny, then of course we have constraints.”
He said, “If a report was done by the Ministry of Energy and we are advised that the report can be made public without legal complications then it will be made… these things are guided by commercial controls and legal controls.”
Dr Rowley when asked about the status of a report launched into an accident back at the company’s plant in Pointe-a-Pierre in 2021, said the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries could not publish its report into that incident because it was not publicly owned.
