Pretoria - The Department of Labour is investigating the death of a Transnet worker who died after falling from a working platform in Bloemfontein.
"The inspectors are investigating the cause of the fatality and as to whether the employer was complying with the occupational health and safety procedures during the time of the accident," said departmental spokesperson Page Boikanyo.
According to the preliminary investigations, the 48-year-old Willem Scheepers, who was employed as a spray painter at the Transnet Rail Engineering's locomotive bay section in Bloemfontein, Free State, was busy painting a carriage on a working platform when he fell to his death.
After the incident, Labour inspectors immediately halted all work at the site and ordered for the erection of safety guard rails along areas where the accident happened.
The department has urged workers to take full charge of their workplace health and safety at all times to avoid unnecessary injuries and fatalities.
