Two Tema Steel workers lose fingers

Tema July 25, GNA - The Tema Steel Company local branch of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) has expressed concern about two separate industrial accidents at the company this week in which two casual workers lost their fingers.

They are Mr Devine Kpentey, 25, who lost three right hand fingers in the rolling mill on Monday, July 19, while Mr George Asante, 23, also had his right thumb cut off and two other fingers smashed during production on Friday.

The Union said the accidents happened at a newly established production plant for the manufacture of iron rods and angle bars. It said the company has given the plant to a civil engineering contractor to employ casual hands to operate without adequate training for them.

In the case of Mr Kpentey, the union said he got his fingers trapped in the rolling mill when he attempted to retrieve his gloves. Mr Asante, a newly employed polytechnic student, was trying his hands on the machine on his first day on the job when the accident occurred.

Mr Emmanuel Akumaglo, the local union Chairman and other union executives, told the GNA that management has told them that the union has no right to say anything on behalf of the affected workers since the employees work under a different company and are not unionised.

He said last year, two workers, Mr Issifu Cromwell and Mr Francis Huago, were wounded in similar accidents and stressed the need to review the company's safety procedures to protect life and property.

Mr Nelson Agbletsinu, the local union secretary, said the use of contractors on the job is one of the tactics being used by the management to run away from its responsibilities as enshrined in their Collective Bargaining Agreement.

When contacted, Miss Ellen Jonah, Personnel Manager of the company, confirmed last week's incidents but denied that Tema Steel has poor safety standards. She said Kpentey's accident was a clear case of negligence.

The second one, involving Asante, was due mainly to over-curiosity because he was given specific instructions by his supervisor to stand by and watch the production process as the day was his first on the job.

On the fate of the workers injured, Miss Jonah said as casuals, they are not unionised but under the terms of their employment, Tema Steel would take care of their medical expenses and any compensation that they are entitled.

Miss Jonah said the company has an active safety committee and also provides all the recommended safety gadgets, which are regularly inspected by the Factory Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare.

She said the use of a contractor on the new plant is an experiment to find out how efficiently the plant can be run, adding that management insists that with new employees, they must be given at least three days training on the job before they start work.

She explained that even though the contractor engaged the workers, Tema steel has attached three Indian experts to the new plant to supervise the job.