DOLE stops work of Korean shipbuilder’s subcon firm after 1 dies, 3 hurt

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Luzon has ordered a subcontractor of Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. Phils. at the Subic Bay Freeport to stop work due to the death of worker and the injury of three other on May 12.

DOLE Central Luzon director Zenaida Angara-Campita issued a stop order to Binictican I-Tech Corp. on May 15 after receiving an accident investigation report by the agency.

Campita said four workers fell from a scaffolding about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at the shipyard’s Dockheed 6 P11-A02C. Before the incident, the probers learned that nine workers spent break time under the scaffolding.

Worker Ferdinand Leuterio died due to an injury to his internal organs, while Gerry Bayuta, Johnny Alegre and Vailian Dela Cruz were treated at a hospital in Subic town.

DOLE’s safety inspectors reported that the “concentrated weight of the workers and raw materials and equipment” might have caused the scaffold to tilt before it crashed.

Only two workers were authorized to work at that area, the inspectors learned. They also observed that the “bolt of the scaffolding’s bracket” was cut.

The subcontractor failed to strictly implement and monitor safety procedures, according to Campita.

“Clearly, there was an unsafe working condition because of an overload of workers and their equipment on the scaffolding, causing its sudden collapse. Aside from this, unsafe acts were also observed because of workers’ failure to use safety harnesses, as well as their supervisor’s failure to control them on the adherence to safety practices,” she said.

Binictican I-Tech can only resume work after it has complied with occupational and health standards.