Worker remains in hospital three weeks after Viduklė accident

The State Labour Inspectorate and police are investigating a workplace accident in Viduklė, while the manager of municipality-owned company Raseinių komunalinės paslaugos has declined to discuss the incident, LRT reported.

LRT received an anonymous report from a resident of Raseiniai district who feared that the circumstances of the accident were being concealed or presented in a way favourable to the employer.

The accident happened on August 5, when a 64-year-old tractor operator was injured while repairing a small bridge. He remains in hospital, where he has been treated since that day.

Locals question safety procedures

According to the person who reported the incident, the tractor operator had been instructed to perform work unrelated to his direct duties and was injured when a metal rod struck him hard in the head.

The man was reportedly taken to the intensive care unit at Kaunas Clinics, a hospital, and his condition was initially described as very serious. The source said his condition was still believed to be serious.

Residents of Viduklė have raised questions about whether the worker had all the required protective equipment and whether workplace safety procedures had been properly documented. They have also questioned whether documents related to occupational safety and protective equipment may have been prepared or presented to employees for signing after the accident.

Inspectorate and police investigating

LRT checked the report and found that most of the information provided was accurate. The State Labour Inspectorate confirmed that an accident involving a 64-year-old man took place on August 5.

Aidas Šiurkus, head of the Šiauliai territorial division of the State Labour Inspectorate, said the investigation had been allocated 20 working days. It has not yet been completed, and all the circumstances of the accident will be examined.

The Šiauliai County Police Headquarters said a pretrial investigation had been opened under Article 176, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, concerning violations of occupational safety and health requirements.

The provision states that an employer or authorised person who violates occupational safety and health requirements established by Lithuanian law, resulting in a serious or fatal workplace accident or other serious consequences, may be fined, arrested or imprisoned for up to seven years.

Employer declines to comment

Raseinių komunalinės paslaugos, whose employee suffered the serious injury, is subordinate to the Raseiniai District Municipality.

Company director Marius Bartusevičius confirmed that the accident had occurred and that the employee was still receiving hospital treatment. However, he declined to discuss the circumstances or severity of the injury, saying he was not authorised to do so.

Bartusevičius referred questions about the incident to the State Labour Inspectorate, police or the injured man’s relatives.