SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A freak accident at the shipbuilding facility of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) here claimed the life of a worker early Wednesday, a report from the Korean company indicated.
Soon Dong Yoon, technical deputy general manager of HHIC-Phil, said in a report submitted to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) that the victim was James Garagal, 26 years old, single, and a native of Samar province.
Caragal was employed by Siticor Corp., a registered subcontractor of HHIC-Phil that is engaged in shipbuilding and ship repair activities.
According to the report, the accident happened at about 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday (July 20) when Caragal hitched a ride on a forklift being driven by fellow worker Richard Puyauan to get to the mess hall of the Production Department Center (PDC) for their midnight meal.
The report said Puyauan “was driving the 7-ton forklift in an over-speeding manner.”
It added that as the forklift approached the PDC parking area, it hit a concrete ditch cover, causing it to partly open.
Outbalanced by the impact, Caragal was thrown off the forklift and fell head first into the now open ditch. The impact of his fall caused Caragal’s instant death.
The Hanjin report also said that Puyauan has surrendered to the Subic Municipal Police Office and is now behind bars, while authorities are preparing charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide against him.
Meanwhile, Caragal’s employer, Sitikor Corp., has given its assurance to provide all the mandatory benefits and other assistance and support to victim’s family, said SBMA administrator Armand Arreza.
Officials of HHIC-Phil also said the company will educate all heavy-equipment operators on the company’s health and safety rules and regulation, and will strictly prohibit over-speeding and the taking of side riders.
