Probers find lapses in Hanjin shipyard safety
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT - Government investigators on Monday said the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd. shipbuilding facility here lacks the neccessary safeguards that could have prevented Friday's explosion that killed two Filipino workers and injured four others.
By JOHN BAYARONG, GMANews.TV
Investigators also said Hanjin could not cope with work-related emergencies because it has no medical doctor on site and has only one nurse on duty during the accident.
President Arroyo on Friday ordered the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to investigate the incident that killed the workers.
SBMA's Occupational Health and Safety Division reported that the sprawling facility also lacks effective emergency response procedures and safety officers to oversee operations, especially in hazardous work places.
The investigators noted that, at the time of the accident, there was only one company nurse on duty. The company has no physician.
Ameth dela Llana-Koval, manager of the SBMA Ecology Center, clarified that Hanjin has four nurses. "We are still determining how many emergency services workers each shift must have," she said.
“Under occupational safety and health standards, the presence of only one health worker in the shipyard is inadequate," the OHSD report said.
Hanjin Phils has some 7,500 employees working inside its facility.
Investigators traced the fire that caused the explosion from a leaking oxygen line and “may have been exacerbated by the presence of lube oil on the floor of the working area."
But workers insisted that the accident was caused by an accetylene rubber hose leaking due to "welding sparks."
SBMA administrator Armand Arreza on Friday ordered inspectors to look into the cause of the fire and determine if the South Korean company violated health and safety standards.
Koval said her department already ordered work to stop in the facility, adding that SBMA will penalize the South Korean firm for violations. - GMANews.TV
By JOHN BAYARONG, GMANews.TV
Investigators also said Hanjin could not cope with work-related emergencies because it has no medical doctor on site and has only one nurse on duty during the accident.
President Arroyo on Friday ordered the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to investigate the incident that killed the workers.
SBMA's Occupational Health and Safety Division reported that the sprawling facility also lacks effective emergency response procedures and safety officers to oversee operations, especially in hazardous work places.
The investigators noted that, at the time of the accident, there was only one company nurse on duty. The company has no physician.
Ameth dela Llana-Koval, manager of the SBMA Ecology Center, clarified that Hanjin has four nurses. "We are still determining how many emergency services workers each shift must have," she said.
“Under occupational safety and health standards, the presence of only one health worker in the shipyard is inadequate," the OHSD report said.
Hanjin Phils has some 7,500 employees working inside its facility.
Investigators traced the fire that caused the explosion from a leaking oxygen line and “may have been exacerbated by the presence of lube oil on the floor of the working area."
But workers insisted that the accident was caused by an accetylene rubber hose leaking due to "welding sparks."
SBMA administrator Armand Arreza on Friday ordered inspectors to look into the cause of the fire and determine if the South Korean company violated health and safety standards.
Koval said her department already ordered work to stop in the facility, adding that SBMA will penalize the South Korean firm for violations. - GMANews.TV
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