Manila: The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) directing Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. (HHIC) to suspend construction activities at the Hanjin shipyard in the wake of a freak accident that killed one worker and injured four others last Friday afternoon.
SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza immediately ordered the issuance of the CDO to Hanjin Construction Corp. Ltd. (HCCL) a few minutes after he was informed of the incident by a Hanjin executive.
"The (safety) situation at the shipyard has become alarming," Arreza said.
Initial reports stated that Mario Atrero, 52, employee of HCCL, of Candelaria, Zambales, was killed last Friday when a formwork at the drydock construction site collapsed due to strong winds.
Zambales Governor Amor Deloso asked the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority not to lift the cease-and-desist order until safety measures are enforced and appropriate equipment are installed at the shipyard in Subic town.
In a telephone interview on Sunday with local media, Deloso said he also demanded a full inspection of the construction and shipbuilding sites of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Philippines Inc. by appropriate government agencies to verify the company's claims that it was doing everything to avoid accidents and deaths among its workers.
Deloso said "not less than 27 deaths" had occurred at the yard due to accidents or malaria since construction started there in late 2006.
Some 5,000 workers are involved in the construction of the shipyard while 8,000 more are employed in shipbuilding work, HHIC-Philippines general manager Pyeong Jong Yu told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Saturday.
Hanjin Heavy has had a torrid time in the Philippines with its Subic facility embroiled in countless teething issues while plans for a second site in Mindanao were hit with bribery claims. [23/6/08]
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