Story: Della Russel ocloo, Tema
Production is said to have resumed at the Western Steel and Forgings Limited in Tema, in defiance of the one-month closure imposed on the company by the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare.
The temporary closure, which took effect from May 5, 2011, followed a series of industrial accidents that claimed the life of one worker and injured 14 others.
It was also to ensure that managers of the company put in place appropriate health and safety measures required for the establishment of factories.
However, three weeks into the closure, production is reported to have resumed at the furnace and rolling mill plant, leading to the manufacture of 11 bundles of iron rods between Wednesday, May 25 and Thursday, May 26, 2011, after a test run had been carried out on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.
Sources at the factory told the Daily Graphic that officials were yet to work on the full recommendations made by the ministry, which called for a total re-construction of the furnace.
The recommendations also underscored the need for the furnace to be equipped with a hood extractor to adequately cater for fumes and hot air at the furnace platform.
According to the source, although the oxygen plant was idle, the crane at the furnace was in full force.
“While protective clothing have been provided for some workers, nose masks, protective eye goggles and earpieces are yet to be made available to the entire workforce,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Employment, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, has told the Daily Graphic that the ministry has not given permission to the management of the company to resume production.
According to him, both parties had agreed for a test run to be conducted, supervised by personnel of the Factories Inspectorate Division, adding that he was surprised at the development.
“I have been out of town and do not immediately know whether the deputy minister or the chief director of the ministry has given them a green light to reopen,” Mr Mensah explained.
When contacted, the Corporate Affairs Director of Western Steel, Nana Ofosua Tamakloe, denied that the company was defying the orders of the ministry.
Ms Tamakloe, who was evasive on the issue, expressed disgust at this reporter for calling her.
“You do not own me; you should know that. I don’t sit idle answering calls from people, since I am a very busy woman,” she fumed.
When prompted further, she said Western Steel was conducting a test run of the machinery, after the minister had tasked officials of the Factories Inspectorate to ensure that everything was working.
“Last Friday, we installed a hood extractor which was built by the GRATIS Foundation and the ministry has asked that we operate to check whether the equipment is working to absorb the fumes, as well as the quality of air in the working environment,” Ms Tamakloe explained.
Efforts to get the acting Chief Factory Inspector, Mr Adjei Boye, on the latest development were unsuccessful, as calls to his telephone were not answered.
Western Steel has, since 2005, recorded major accidents at its Hammer, Rolling Mill, Furnace and Quality Control divisions which never came to public attention, leading to serious injuries and the death of one Dominic Annor at the Tema General Hospital on September 11, 2007.
Similarly, John Billa was confirmed dead at the same hospital on October 3, 2005 when molten steel he was working with fell on him.
Between January 5 and July 15, 2006, 25 some employees of the company sustained various degrees of injury at the Furnace and the Hammer plants.
Indications are that officials of the Factories Inspectorate and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are due to visit the factory today to access the situation.
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