Nine injured in furnace explosion in Tema
The explosion at the United Steel Company Ltd, in Tema’s Free Zone Enclave, injured six Ghanaians as well as three Indian nationals
A furnace explosion at the United Steel Company Ltd in the Free Zone Enclave in Tema injured nine people and destroyed property belonging to MND Metals Company Ltd.
The nine injured people included six Ghanaians and three Indians working at United Steel Company. The impact also put workers in the adjoining company at risk.
Mahmoud El-Kurdi, manager of MND Metals Company Ltd, said one of the furnaces used by United Steel to melt scrap metals for production exploded at about 6.10pm, causing damage to the workers’ changing room at MND, among other property.
MND Metals Company Ltd is situated just behind United Steel Company Ltd.
El-Kurdi also raised concerns about the fumes emitted every day from United Steel. He said that the company often releases fumes containing carbon which are harmful to his firm’s workers. Many of the workers have been diagnosed with respiratory infections, he said, and some have been coughed up blood.
He said the unhealthy air released by the steel company has made his business take a hit. Most expatriates he employs to work for the metal company have left because of the same problem, he said.
El-Kurdi said despite writing several letters to the management of the steel company to address the problem, no action had been taken.
“The situation is bad and this had been going on for so long: decline in business, losing staff and our healths are all in danger,” he lamented.
Immediate action
El-Kurdi said he has reported the steel company to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI).
He also called for immediate action, insisting that 200 of his workers are struggling to cope with the gases from the steel company.
Meanwhile, Adams Aikens, a foreman at MND Metals, also claimed that a worker died two years ago because of pollution in the air.
“One of our guys called John Tetteh is suffering from asthma as a result of the pollution,” Daniel Adraku, a forklift operator for MND Metals, also said.
E A Alanore
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