A Filipino non-resident worker (NRW) died in a work accident at the Wynn Palace hotel in Cotai yesterday morning.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam said it is believed that the victim, a 51-year-old technician surnamed Bautista, suffered severe head injuries during a routine inspection of the elevator pit.
Bautista, was carrying out the inspection at the northern lobby of the hotel with a colleague at around 7 am yesterday.
At the time of the accident, Bautista was in the pit on Lower Level 2, while his colleague was on Lower Level 1. Bautista called his colleague by walkie-talkie to turn on the cog rotation to check whether any of the machine parts were faulty.
Bautista’s colleague immediately stopped the machine after he had heard a loud noise and then rushed down to look for Bautista after he had failed to receive a response over the walkie-talkie.
Bautista was found hanging on the crossbeam of the pit showing no reaction. Both management and police were immediately notified.
The PJ suspects that the victim’s head was caught in the gear when he was inspecting the cog rotation, causing his immediate death. Apart from a fracture to the victim’s skull, no suspicious injuries were found, the PJ said.
The case has been listed as a “dead body found”. The cause of death still needs to be confirmed by forensic examination.
As the case involved a work accident, the Judiciary Police reported the case to the Labour Affairs Bureau.
The Labour Affairs Bureau said it is saddened and “highly” concerned about Bautista’s death. The bureau has expressed its deep sympathy to the victim’s bereaved family and will assist it in compensation matters.
In order to protect the safety of workers, the bureau has informed the employer to stop all work at the accident site and requested the employer to submit an accident investigation report, adding that the bureau will continue to investigate the cause of the accident while pursuing the responsible entity in accordance with the results of the investigation.
The bureau underlined that it will continue to carry out inspections to encourage employers and their workers to work safely, The Macau Post Daily reported.
