A worker at the process plant of Leone Rock Metal Group was stuck in a conveyor belt and had his right arm amputated at the New Tonkolili Iron Mines on Thursday.
Abu Sembu Fornah is a staff of Huaxin, a subcontractor of Leone Rock Metal Group.
An investigation has been instituted to determine the cause of the accident, the Leone Rock Metal Group, the parent company of Kingho Mining Company, said in a statement on Friday.
“Whist thorough investigation is ongoing on the cause of the accident, notwithstanding, management will like to disclose at this stage that the Huaxin worker was employed to work at the conveyor belt, where he sadly lost his right arm. Preliminary findings show the employee was in full PPE with all safety gears on to undertake the task he was assigned to,” the Company said in a statement.
“At the initial stage, we will like to also confirm that the employee was immediately attended to by the company’s ERT team and later rushed in a company ambulance to the Holy Spirit Hospital in Makeni City, the Northern Region of Sierra Leone. At the hospital, the surgeon on duty immediately performed a surgery on the victim. We would like to further confirm that though the victim is in shock after losing his right arm, he is however in good health and responding to medical treatment.”
The company said in the statement that it will continue to give the victim the best medical treatment he s deserves, “while at the same time willing to negotiate on compensation package and the future of the victim”.
“Whilst we await full report on the investigation, management wants to reiterate it fullest commitment towards providing a work-friendly environment that is safe and secured for not just its workers but also communities in its operational areas,” Leone Rock said.
By Sallieu S Kanu