EDITORIAL — No need for them to pay in blood

If you aren’t careful your work can kill you.

This literally became the case for a 33-year-old worker who died after being crushed to death by granite slabs he was helping to unload from a Canter truck in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Liloan town, Cebu, last Tuesday, July 21.

Liloan police said the slabs toppled over as the ropes used to secure them to the truck were being untied. Six of the slabs landed on the victim who was waiting beside the truck and he suffered severe injuries. He later died in the hospital.

The Department of Labor and Employment is now looking into the incident to determine any possible liability.

Like we always say in incidents like these, accidents don’t just happen. Accidents are always the consequence of a chain of events.

Somewhere in that chain a rule was not implemented. Somewhere in that chain a safety regulation was ignored. And someone paid the price for that with his life.

Maybe the ropes weren’t tied tightly enough. Maybe the wrong vehicle was used to transport the items. Maybe someone drove in a way that dislodged what was supposed to be a secure pile of heavy items. Maybe someone didn’t stand far away enough in case an accident happened. Maybe someone didn’t wear enough protective gear.

Because granite slabs are heavy we are sure there are practices when it comes to loading them, securing them to vehicles, transporting them, and unloading them at the site. But are such practices standard throughout different transport or construction companies. Are such practices consistent throughout the different vehicles they use?

DOLE should get to the bottom of this issue and recommend changes if it sees any room for improvement.

Sure, this was just an isolated incident; accidents like these don’t happen to people taking items to construction sites every day. But we really shouldn’t wait for a similar incident to happen again before we take preventive action.

Our workers, especially those who are exposed to hazards daily, are already paying the price in sweat and tears; there’s no need for them to pay in blood.