Keppel Subic found wanting in safety plan

Keppel Subic Shipyard on Wednesday released the initial report made by the task force created by the company to investigate the accident in which six workers died and several others injured.

Keppel Subic president and general manager Kim Whang released the initial findings of the task force, amid charges the company lacked a safety plan and that not one safety officer was on the scene. Whang said the stern ramp of the vessel moved while undergoing repair, thus causing the support ramp to topple.

Whang said that the stern ramp had been in this position and had been safely worked on since September 29 2011.

“Some workers were on the scaffolding underneath the ramp edge and on the ramp at the time of the incident,” Whang said citing the task force of senior officials from the company’s Singapore headquarters.

The report said that the same support structure was used on another vessel a month ago but not a single incident took place.

But Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Tuesday said that Keppel Subic shipyard did not have a safety officer on the scene when the ramp collapsed crushing five workers to death.

Baldoz also said that Keppel lacked a safety plan. Cecille Garcia, Manila Standard Today