Health And Safety Inquiry After Bakery Blaze
November 4th, 2008The Health and Safety practices at a Bakery in Pietermaritzburg will be the subject of a joint inquiry by the police and the Department of Labour. Police spokesman Superintendent Henry Budhram confirmed the incident and that an inquiry has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the fire at a local bakery.
Seven employees suffered smoke inhalation, allegedly as a result of having been locked into the premises. The fire is believed to have broken out at Kajal’s Bakery at about 11.30 pm on that Saturday night. The workers trapped inside the burning bakery is alleged to be Malawian nationals who could not get out when the fire started.
When reporters from The Witness arrived at the scene shortly after midnight, the were told that 16 men were inside the building during the fire at the bakery in Birmingham Road in Eastwood.
The Pietermaritzburg fire brigade was alerted by patrons at a nearby tavern who were partying until late on Saturday night. The Fire Brigade then responded to the call and forced open the doors and extinguished the blaze.
The bakery was extensively damaged.
Reporters from The Witness were told by the some of the tavern patrons that they heard screams coming from the bakery and saw smoke billowing from it. The party goers then tried desperately to break down the strong doors but was unsuccessful. Then the firemen arrived and broke open the doors to let out the trapped men.
No serious injuries were reported, but most of the men appeared to be suffering from breathing problems and others sustained minor injuries in their desperate efforts to get out the burning building.
It is against the law to lock employees inside a workplace without access to suitable emergency evacuation route or exit.
The inquiry will no doubt look at the possible contravention of sections of the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act. A similar incident took place last year in Pretoria where workers were killed in a fire while locked in a factory.
Senior Superintendent Henry Budhram said the police had been told by the owner that everything was in order when he visited the bakery at about 10 pm. “At this stage an investigation is under way to determine all the facts,” he said.
Source: The Witness
Posted: 2 November 2008
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