Wakiso, Uganda: A 26-year-old, Martin Kayanga, a casual worker, has died after being crushed by a steel roller at the China Chan Jiang Steel and Iron Factory in Buwonzi village in Matugga, Wakiso district.
“According to preliminary investigations, it is alleged that the deceased was working with his colleagues when he slid and fell into a rolling machine that he was operating, resulting in his untimely death,” said Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire on Friday.
He said the machine was immediately stopped, and the victim was rushed to Mulago Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
It remains unclear if proper safety guards were in place to prevent the incident which occurred this morning.
Chinese businesses have previously been criticised for not putting in place adequate occupation safety measures to protect their workers.
In July 2022, a casual worker only identified as Brian was killed by a faulty electric chainsaw machine at the Chinese-owned Brother Wood Factory in Mukono District.
Brian was cutting pine wood logs when the machine he was operating jammed, bounced off the wood and cut through his neck. He bled to death.
Owoyesigyire said police responded swiftly to the incident and upon arrival at the scene, found that Kayanga had already been removed from the machine.
“The crime scene was documented, photographed, and swabs were collected from the roller machine, along with the suspected remains of the deceased, as part of the ongoing investigations,” said Owoyesigyire.
Mr Douglas Opio, executive director, Federation of Uganda Employees (FUE) was recently quoted by the media as saying safety of workers is greatly affected by limited knowledge and absence of occupational safety policies.
Owoyesigyire said the management of China Chan Jiang Steel and Iron Factory “is fully cooperating with us to unravel the circumstances that led to this tragic incident. We also want to urge the public to remain calm as we conduct our investigations and seek to establish the facts surrounding the matter.”