Paarl Print fire probe ends

Johannesburg - The public inquiry into the cause of the fire which broke out at Paarl Print in April last year came to an end on Tuesday, the department of labour said.

Thirteen employees died in the blaze while others were injured.

Transcripts would be made available at the end of June to all representatives involved and they would have until the end of July to submit their heads of arguments to the chairperson of the enquiry.

"The chairperson will study these arguments and submit a report to the chief inspector for his determination in October," the department said in a statement.

The chief inspector would then make a recommendation to the National Director of Public Prosecutions for prosecution of any party found liable.

"This inquiry took over a month, gathering evidence to determine whether sufficient fire safety precautionary measures were in place to prevent the fire from killing and injuring these workers."

The department said the public hearings were held in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993.

- Sapa