TWO workers recently died at the Subic, Zambales facility of Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corp., which became controversial years ago after labor groups criticized the firm for the lack of safety standards.
In its report to the Central Luzon office of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), Hanjin identified the fatalities as Jenny San Miguel Luna, 34, and Felix del Mundo Vidallos, 53.
Luna, an employee of Spoint Corp., was hit in the stomach by the forklift operated by fellow sub-contractor Sitikor Corp. on January 31. According to the report, the operator did not notice the victim because he was looking at the bus travelling on the other side of the road.
Meanwhile, Vidallos was killed last November after the truck he was driving hit a metal plate located on the trestle along the side of the road.
"Our company is closely monitoring any development on this matter. We understand that Spoint representatives are in close coordination with the victim’s family and all mandatory benefits and other assistance and support shall be provided to them,” said Hanjin.
Hanjin also promised to hold education and training of all forklift operators to avoid a repeat of the incident.
Over 20,000 people work in the $1.9-billion shipyard but just a few hundred are claimed by the giant multinational as its employees since most are hired by 19 subcontractors.
In 2009, the Senate Labor committee conducted a series of investigations on the chain of accidents, which found the shipyard as prone to accidents and detrimental to health.
Hanjin is one of the top exporters in the country's premier Freeport as President Benigno Aquino III thanked the company for injecting P24.2 billion worth of investments to the Philippines in 2010. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)