FIJI – The horrific death of an advertising company worker while changing a billboard using a cherry picker in Suva this week has worried Fiji’s Labour Minister Semi Koroilavesau.

Koroilavesau said his office would “get to the bottom” of the incident and find out the cause.

He said he was disappointed with employers “using shortcuts” and not complying with Occupational Health and Safety Standards to get the work done.

“There are very clearly stipulated rules and guidelines for any workplace and mostly in dangerous situations,” Koroilavesau said.

“The company must be well aware of processes and procedures needed to work in the dangerous environment and that’s very clearly defined in the Act.

“Accidents do happen but protection must always be available to the workers.

Koroilavesau said all registered companies in Fiji were aware of the OHS requirements.

Ilisoni Nata, 31, originally of Somosomo in Gau, who had spent much of his life supporting and paying for the education of his sisters, was crushed to death on site between the bucket of the cherry picker and a billboard on Suva’s Edinburgh Drive.

The employee of Go Advertising, who was changing the billboard at the time of the incident, was left hanging between the billboard and the bucket of the cherry picker in view of hundreds of passers-by who were shocked at witnessing the tragedy.

According to the Fiji Times, tears of devastation and heartbreak drenched Torika Bale’s face when she learnt of her elder brother’s death.

Reminiscing on the days she spent with her brother on their home island of Gau, Bale said being the fourth of seven siblings, Nata was always ready to do any work in the village so he could put food on the table.

“He always wanted to be the senior person in the house. He did any job given to him so that he could send us to school,” Bale said.

She said she had wonderful memories of her brother who completed his secondary education at Gau Secondary School and later attended the Fiji National University.

“I can’t believe he is no more. I can’t believe that I saw him lying dead in the hospital. I miss him. I really miss him, my brother is no more,” she said as she cried.

A number of Nata’s co-workers reported that moments before he boarded the cherry picker, he picked a flower and placed it behind his ear.

Go Advertising director Charles Wakeham said Nata was one of his most experienced staff members.

“He was very hardworking, committed and one of my most experienced staff. He knew everything about the cherry picker.”

Wakeham said the company would wait for the outcome of police investigations and post-mortem examination before commenting further.

- Fiji Times