metro

Another worker dies in construction accident

Edwards Santos/LA PRENSA

deadly:A worker was crushed to death when the elevator he was working on shifted, trapping him between it and the building. 997983

Less than 24 hours after a construction worker fell to his death, another man was killed at a building site.

Thursday morning, Jolly Sobalbarro, 22, was killed when he was crushed by an elevator used to haul construction material. The accident happened on the 14th floor of the H2O building, which is located on Avenida Balboa.

According to witnesses, Sobalbarro was working on the elevator when another worker inadvertently pressed a button that caused it to shift, crushing Sobalbarro between it and the building.

On Wednesday, Guillermo Barsallo, 38, was killed when he fell off the 13th floor of a building under construction in Obarrio. Barsallo was working on a concrete molding being poured on the outside of the building when he fell. Though he was wearing a harness, it was not attached to a rope.

The accidents have had tragic consequences on the workers' families. Barsallo had three children, while Sobalbarro's wife is pregnant.

Both workers were members of Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de la Construcción (Suntracs).

Wednesday, union members reacted angrily to both accidents, staging a protest in Panama City. Suntracs leader Juan Rosero said that, in both cases, the contractors failed to maintain proper safety standards at their work sites.

The company building H2O, R.A. Crames, declined to comment about the incident. Yesterday, officials from Arco y Asociados, which is in charge of the building where Sobalbarro was killed, also declined to comment.

This year, three construction workers have died in accidents. Last year, 27 workers were killed.

Both of this week's deaths are being investigated by the Fiscalía Auxiliar and the Dirección de Investigación Judicial.

Ministro de Trabajo Edwin Salamín said that inspectors from the ministry will also be conducting an investigation into the accidents. While these investigations are ongoing, work has been stopped at both sites.

Salamín added that the circumstances which led to Wednesday's accident are still unclear.

"The worker was wearing the harness, but he was not tied to a rope, which is how it provides security," Salamín said.

Yesterday afternoon union members and students marched on the president's residence demanding, among other things, that worker safety be improved.

Upon arrival, the workers submitted a list of demands to the Executive Branch, which include increased safety regulations. Another protest took place in Chiriquí, where 100 workers held a protest for better working conditions.

Unlike previous Suntracs protests, there were no reports of violence.