The Sixth Judicial Circuit Court for Montserrado County is currently hearing a civil lawsuit filed by Josephus Parson, an employee of Sethi Ferro Fabrik, Inc., who is seeking damages for injuries sustained in a workplace incident he attributes to the company’s negligence.
Filed during the court’s June Term, presided over by Assigned Circuit Judge George S. Smith, the case centers on a January 14, 2025 incident in which Parson, assigned to the company’s Pollution Central Department, claims he lost three fingers due to unsafe working conditions.
According to the complaint filed by Counselor Victor G. Gailor, Parson began working at Sethi Ferro Fabrik on May 1, 2020, completed a three-month probation, and was confirmed in August of that year. His duties included welding, maintenance, cutting, and assisting supervisors.
On the day of the incident, Parson alleges he was instructed to clean a motor and asked a supervisor whether the machine had been turned off. He claims he was assured it was safe. However, while attempting to remove a rope from the machine with his bare hands, it allegedly auto-activated, severing three fingers on his right hand.
The plaintiff accuses the company of failing to uphold basic safety standards and asserts that the injury was preventable.
Sethi Ferro Fabrik, represented by its legal team, denies liability. The company argues that Parson violated established safety protocols by failing to manually switch off the machine before attempting repairs.
The defense further claims that the machine is programmed to auto-activate every three minutes, and that Parson’s actions were rushed and reckless. They also dispute the plaintiff’s assertion that a supervisor confirmed the machine was off, calling the claim “false and misleading”.
The case has sparked renewed scrutiny of occupational safety practices in Liberia’s expanding industrial sector. As proceedings continue, the court will determine whether Sethi Ferro Fabrik bears responsibility for the injury or whether the incident was the result of worker error.
