WATCH: Guardsman Group says company supporting burn victims
Three men who sustained third-degree burns in a blast at a garage adjacent to Guardsman Group-Beryllium Limited headquarters, on South Camp Road, on Wednesday have been airlifted to hospitals overseas for additional treatment.
An additional man who suffered injuries in the blast has been confirmed dead.
Speaking at the Norman Manley International Airport on Thursday afternoon while the men were waiting to be transported, Chairman of the Guardsman Group of Companies, Kenny Benjamin, stressed that the company puts its staff first.
“We are all about people, because that’s what we sell, that’s how we make our money, so they are so important to us, and I am glad we gathered together to make sure we can help them as much as we can,” he expressed.
Benjamin made the statement as he led a team on Thursday to meet with the fire victims and offer immediate support.
Nicholas Benjamin, deputy chairman of the Guardsman Group of Companies, noted that the company will ensure that any workers who need medical treatment, whether locally or overseas, are sent to receive the care they require.
“We had an incident at one of our facilities, and unfortunately, people were injured, got burns on their bodies. With the help of Stephen [Josephs] over here and his organisation [we’re] airlifting them out to the States to get the first world treatment that they need,” he explained.
Noting that the turnaround time for burn victims is critical, Nicholas said getting them out quickly was the most important part.
He indicated one of the injured men worked as a garage manager, one was part of the operations team, another was a welder, and the other was an air conditioner technician.
Vivene Barret, the mother of one of the burn victims, Damian Walters, was in tears as she explained to the Observer that her son’s injuries seemed to her eye as bad as a 10 on a scale of one to 10. However, she expressed gratitude at the support from the company.
“I am so grateful for what they are doing not only for my son but for all the others that were affected,” she said.
Josephs, who heads the Burn Foundation, indicated the three men would be treated at a facility in California and at the JMS Burn Centre in Atlanta.
