Collapse caused by privatisation, lack of inspection, greed to profit: Chamber

Turkish Engineers and Architects' Chamber released a report on the collapse of a railed coal transfer tube in Turkey’s Muğla city, pointing out that the main reason of the collapse was "government’s and capitalists’ carelessness about workers’ lives"
Tuesday, 31 July 2018 06:19

 

The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) issued a report on the collapse of a railed coal transfer tube at a thermal power plant in the Yatağan district of Turkey’s Muğla city, which had killed 2 workers and injured 10 on July 19. The report underlined the role of “negligence” in the collapse, also providing several suggestions to prevent future “accidents”.

Highlighting that privatisation, sub-contracting, and greed to profit caused such accidents, the report states that “the accumulation of knowledge and experience obtained in public institutions through years is lost with the defective practices such as sub-contracting and royalty, virtually inviting such occupational accidents”.

The report also pointed at another aspect of negligence, saying that both in public and private administrations, the desire to increase production at once and disregarding work health and safety (WHS) measures in this respect causes the ignoring of maintenance and repair works, resulting in such “accidents”.

“The fact that the required maintenance and repair works were not done in the coal conveyance system and the bearing columns at the Yatağan Thermal Power Plant should not be considered only a matter of lack of knowledge and experience. Such accidents will continue to occur in a system that does not involve maintenance and repair mechanisms based on technical knowledge,” the report went on.

Though every occupational accident could have a technical reason such as metal fatigue, corrosion with the accelerating effect of the climate and environment, a decrease in the operational capacity of the conveyor system, and so on, which would be clarified with the expert’s report, the statement noted that the “common reason for occupational accidents/murders is that both the government and the capital does not care about the life of workers”.

The TMMOB also provided a set of suggestions in order to prevent such incidents in the future:

- It should not be forgotten that the collapsed conveyor system in Yatağan is among the equipment that is required to be subject to periodical checks, and the list of the machinery and equipment that are obliged to be checked must be extended, and all the machinery and equipment used in the sectors of agriculture, mining, construction, energy, and manufacturing industry must be added to the regulations.

- The mentality of giving WHS services “in market conditions” must be excluded; the mentality of public interest and service and public scrutiny must prevail.

- All of the obstacles faced by organising, collective contract, and strikes must be removed; flexible, precarious, and sub-contracted working must be banned.

- Regulations and practices related to WHS must encompass all workplaces and employees in all statuses, without any discriminations and restrictions. The regulations must be made from the perspective that “it is primarily the employer’s duty to ensure workers’ health and safety”.

- The maintenance and repair reports held at the workplace must be ensured to be monitored by the WHS Board.

- The related ministry must monitor whether the shortcomings in the risk assessment reports prepared for workplaces have been compensated, and effort must be made in order to compensate them.

- Inspections over workplaces must increase in number, as well as administrative sanctions and fines, and the letter must be carried out definitely.

- Opportunities must be created for workers’ representatives to inspect the whole workplace in frequencies depending on the size of the place, and their job security must be guaranteed.