The 31-year-old Walter Shiweda was fatally injured when he fell from a suspended platform while busy cleaning crane rails in a warehouse in Karibib.
According to the incident report provided by the Namibian Police in the Erongo Region, the tragic accident occurred in the warehouse of the Namagra at about 08:30 on Saturday morning. The deceased person was an employee of the Nghede Construction CC
The report states that Shiweda and a few of his colleagues were hoisted into the roof of the warehouse with a forklift that was fitted with a cage to clean the rails on which an overhead crane runs.
“Their safety belts were fastened to the cage. While up in the air the deceased person exited the cage to perform the cleaning and while on the outside his foot slipped and he fell. He was suspended by his safety belt but his weight caused the cage to topple from the forklift’s prongs and it also fell to the warehouse floor.
Shiweda and his colleagues fell to the ground and he sustained serious head injuries. The other workers were not seriously injured.
The seriously injured worker was rushed to the Karibib Clinic but was immediately transferred to the Usakos State Hospital for more intensive treatment.
According to the incident report, Shiweda succumbed to his injuries at about 16:15 while he was still admitted to the hospital.
Story via Niël Terblanché, Informanté
Photo: Courtesy of NamPol Erongo
