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SUBIC BAY Freeport: The Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction
Corp. reported two more deaths that prompted authorities to issue a
notice of violation and investigate anew the recent deaths.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)
Administrator Armand Arreza identified the fatalities in separate
accidents as Oliver Labay, a 32-year-old Hanjin worker from Olongapo
City and Rafael Careg of Pasig City.
Labay, he said, died on the spot on Sunday, as
he was grinding a block bulkhead for a cargo ship at about 1:50 a.m.
when another bulkhead behind him collapsed, hitting him on the back
of his head and pinning him to the concrete floor.
Initial investigation indicated that the lock
holding the one-ton metal that pinned Labay gave way and killed him
instantly.
The other recorded death involved a vehicular
accident that proved fatal for Careg. Reports said Careg was riding
a pickup truck when a Hanjin crane boom truck hit the vehicle.
Because of the impact, the pickup truck was
reduced to a total wreck. Careg was pronounced dead on arrival at
the San Marcelino Hospital.
A Manila Times source said that there were
allegedly 3 violations by Hanjin: failure to report a death incident
on time, the Hanjin crane boom truck had no certification coming
from the proper authorities and the driver of the boom truck also
had no certification.
Ameth de la Llana-Koval of the Ecology Center of
SBMA said that in the past incident involving Hanjin, SBMA has
issued other health and safety notice of violations which amounted
to some P200,000 in fines.
She added that her office issued a notice to pay
to Hanjin for the P200,000 fine but has yet to confirm if the
company paid it already.
Arreza said that in this particular case, the
SBMA had penalized Hanjin after completing its investigation last
week.
The source added that SBMA had fined Hanjin
P30,000 for the accident involving Careg while investigation on the
death of Labay is now ongoing.
Arreza also said that the SBMA has made
arrangements to establish a safety monitoring office at Hanjin’s
Subic shipyard. The company is now setting up the office for
occupancy by health and safety personnel of the SBMA.
-- Anthony Bayarong
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