MANILA, Philippines—Chemical manufacturer CAWC Inc. has shut down its manufacturing plant in Pasig City after a fire hit the facility on Thursday, leaving two workers injured.
At the same time, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) of Pasig City ordered CAWC—a subsidiary of publicly listed Chemical Industries of the Philippines Inc. (Chemphil)—to cease and desist from operating the plant and to stop the demolition activities in the area.
Citing the results of its own investigation, Chemphil said in a report to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday that the fire happened at 9:20 a.m. on Thursday in the storage room of CAWC’s logistics department. It was followed by an explosion which razed the storage room.
The report added that stocks of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), acetylene tanks and machine oil stored in drums were burned and damaged in addition to finished products and some filter aid materials. But with the help of firefighters, the fire was put out in less than 12 minutes, Chemphil said.
“In the meantime, we would like to inform the public that CAWC has closed down all operations in the affected area,” read the CAWC statement signed by its president, Ana Maria Ordoveza, dated March 11.
“The incident is isolated and is not due to the plant’s normal operations,” she added.
CAWC also apologized for the accident and any inconvenience it may have caused. “However, the management of CAWC is also grateful that the injuries … were limited to a small laceration and bruises to two people working in the area and with no significant damage to property,” it said.
The company said it had made sure that the injured were immediately treated.
“The management of CAWC would like to assure the public that the plant in Pasig continues to be safe and operates in compliance with environmental and safety requirements,” Ordoveza said.
The Cenro, for its part, has ordered CAWC to submit the following:
• toxic and hazardous waste management plan;
• chemical accident prevention plan;
• transport permit and disposal permit from the Environmental Management Bureau and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; and penalties under the existing ordinance and Clean Air Act.
CAWC is the country’s pioneer and only manufacturer of technical grade sodium tri-polyphosphates and tetra-sodium pyrophosphates for the detergent industry. –Doris Dumlao, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
#WearMask #WashHands
#Distancing
#TakePicturesVideos
