Another worker dies at Hanjin shipyard

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Another worker of a subcontractor at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.-Philippines was killed on Wednesday after a duct weighing 250 kilograms fell on him as he was unshackling it for a painting job.

Jose Vener Gil, 42, died while being rushed to the hospital, according to Hanjin’s accident report to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

SBMA administrator and chief executive officer Armand Arreza said they immediately dispatched a team to investigate the accident.

The results of the full investigation are expected within two days, he said.

Gil, who worked for Hanjin subcontractor Philnorkor, became the second fatality at the shipyard this month, as another laborer died last Nov. 20.

However, Pyeong Jong Yu, Hanjin deputy managing director, said the Nov. 20 incident “was not in any way related to the shipbuilding operations, as (it) was caused by a vehicular accident as a result of human frailty.”

In the accident report, Pyeong said Hanjin has launched a “full-scale investigation” to ascertain whether last Wednesday’s “unfortunate event” was the result of “an industrial mishap, unavoidable human error or simply the negligence of Philnorkor during the construction work.”

“If the investigation reveals that the accident was caused by laxity in the observance of rules and regulations on occupational safety, the immediate superiors and authorities concerned with the implementation of safety policies will be made answerable, regardless of nationality,” Pyeong assured Arreza.

If Philnorkor is found negligent, Pyeong said Hanjin “shall take all the necessary steps to hold (it) liable in every aspect.”

Whatever the results of the probe are, he said Hanjin would provide “reasonable financial support” to the family of Gil, a resident of Subic, Zambales.

Pyeong gave assurance that Hanjin and its subcontractors would exert their “best efforts” to make the shipyard an “accident-free workplace.”– With Ric Sapnu and Ma. Elisa Osorio