Two contract workers died when they fell down from a ladder at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, a Government of India undertaking, here on Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Mohammad Ali, 40, of Islampet and P. Ramesh, 41, of Janata Colony, Malkapuram. They were employees of Chipping Painting Workers Society.
The incident occurred at 9.45 a.m. when they were painting a bulk carrier to get it ready for floating at a height of 60 feet.
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According to an eyewitness, there were four workers on the gangway ladder that was hooked to a crane to facilitate the painters to reach the work area. As per norms, all the four ends of the gangway should have been fastened to the hook with the help of wire ropes, But in this case, only the opposite ends were fastened. This resulted in the gangway to dip sharply to one side as the load of the workers shifted. While the deceased slipped and fell to death, the other two held on to the railing of the ladder till the operator of the crane quickly brought down the gangway.
Meanwhile, Hindustan Shipyard Labour and Staff Union general secretary K.M. Kumaramangalam said safety lapse had led to the accident. “The management has agreed to pay a compensation of Rs.6.75 lakh to the family of each deceased worker and Rs.6,000 as funeral expenses,” he said.