Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County-A former contractor at Bea Mountain Mining Corporation (BMMC) is raising serious concerns about unsafe working conditions at the company’s laboratory in Kinjor, after suffering an eye injury allegedly caused by exposure to dust and chemicals during a routine shift.
Josie Pannah, who previously worked in the sample preparation section of the lab-a facility that regularly handles chemical substances involved in gold processing, recounted a harrowing incident during a day shift when dust entered his eyes, causing immediate discomfort.
“I felt the dust bowl enter my eyes while I was working. My left eye became red and irritated,” Pannah told Verity Investigation. “I reported it to my supervisor, Augustine, and decided to rest since the shift was almost over.”
However, the situation worsened overnight. “The next morning, I woke up and could not see out of my left eye. It was very red and painful,” he said.
Concerned about the severity of his condition, he contacted his supervisor and immediately traveled to Monrovia to seek medical treatment at JFK Medical Center.
According to Pannah, all medical expenses during his treatment in Monrovia were covered by his family, not the company. “My family paid for everything,” he added.
Upon returning to Kinjor after receiving medical care, Pannah said he was unexpectedly called back to work. To his surprise, it was during his recovery that he was presented with a contract to sign.
“I had worked as a daily hire for six months without a contract. They gave me one only after I returned from treatment, and I was still injured,” he stated.
Pannah claims he served as a contractor at the mining company for one year, which he says violates Liberian labor laws.
But more concerning, according to him, is the fact that many Liberians working at BMMC face daily exposure to hazardous conditions.
He told Verity Investigation that while working in the sampling room, workers were not provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), leaving them vulnerable to dangerous chemicals.
Since the incident, he says he has not received any compensation or reimbursement for medical costs from BMMC.
The incident has raised broader concerns among employees and labor rights advocates about safety protocols and health protections at BMMC, particularly for daily hires and contract workers who may lack formal workplace protections.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred at the company’s mining site.
On February 15 of this year, Philip Garvelo Blawin, a Liberian driver for BMMC, lost his life when a Komatsu HD785 truck struck a parked Volvo Articulated Truck, crushing him instantly.
A video widely circulated among workers showed employees expressing frustration over the persistent lack of safety measures.
One worker described the accident as part of a disturbing pattern of workplace fatalities, citing previous incidents in which colleagues were crushed by heavy equipment.
“We need serious action from the safety department to prevent tragedies like this,” the worker said. “We cannot continue losing lives because of preventable accidents. Safety has to be taken seriously.”
Photos and video footage from the night of the accident showed that Blawin had no safety gear or reflective equipment at the time of the incident.
In 2024, another daily hire worker, Varney Watson, suffered a grievous injury resulting in the amputation of his arm—also allegedly due to inadequate safety measures at one of BMMC’s hazardous operational sites.
Despite mounting reports and testimonies, the government of Liberia has remained silent on these alarming issues affecting Liberian miners.
Pannah’s case, which has been with the Ministry of Labor for three years, remains unresolved. He is now calling for a speedy trial and justice.
“This is not just about me,” Pannah emphasized. “There are many others suffering in silence. It’s time for the government to act.”
