Navi Mum welder dies after 400-kg iron rings fall on him

NAVI MUMBAI: A 19-year-old welder died after iron rings, weighing 400kg, fell on him from a crane at a metal fabricating company in Rabale MIDC, Navi Mumbai. Following preliminary investigation, the police arrested the company’s manager for negligence on Thursday.

The incident took place on Tuesday around 11am at Vishwakarma Udyog company. The victim, Rajesh Gautam, was a resident of Digha in Navi Mumbai.

“The iron rings were being moved to another location using a crane. The metal rings, weighing around 400kg, were not fitted properly under the belt, causing them to fall off the crane on Gautam. He suffered severe injuries on stomach,” a police officer from Rabale MIDC said.

His colleagues rushed him to the civic hospital in Vashi, where he died in the evening during treatment. After his death, the police recorded the statements of the workers at the factory and Gautam’s brother, following which a case was registered.

“When we visited the factory for inspection after the worker’s death, we discovered that the labourers were not provided with any safety equipment. They alleged that the metal rings were not fixed properly and were loaded in a haphazard manner. We suspect that the belt, which was holding the iron rings, was not maintained, owing to which they fell,” said senior inspector Nitin Gite from Rabale MIDC police station.

The police then arrested factory manager Preetpal Singh Saini, 25, as he looked after the daily operations at the site. He was later released on bail. The factory is owned by Saini’s father Hardip.

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