Steel industry puts profits before human life -- Akahata editorial, September 9The gas tank explosion injuring 15 workers at Nippon Steel Corporation Nagoya Works could have become a major disaster.
The explosion came as a shock to residents nearby, but the company did not report it to the fire station or to the city office until it received a call from the fire station which learned of the incident from emergency calls by residents. The company has a history of similar irresponsibility. For example, it has failed to repair old facilities that frequently cause gas leaks even after warnings came from workers. Safety checks used to be undertaken by experts, but due to cuts in the workforce they are now done by workers as they proceed with their regular work. We demand that the cause of the accident be thoroughly investigated and that safety measures to prevent accidents be established.
Fourteen killed this year
The point to note is that serious accidents have taken place at major steel companies this year. At the Nippon Steel Yawata Works, a smelting pot of 1,600 degrees Centigrade fell over and the fluid scorched a workman to death and burned two others. To date, six workers died in work-related accidents at Nippon Steel. In the first eight months of this year, 14 steel workers were killed in similar accidents. This is extraordinary in comparison to last year, in which the annual death toll was 20.
Why so many accidents this year? Because many companies carry out corporate restructuring with worker dismissals to secure profits.
Nippon Steel had 65,000 workers in 1987. The number of workers has been reduced to about 16,500 (excluding temporarily transferred workers) at present through five rounds of cuts in the name of "streamlining."
The drastic cuts have enabled Nippon Steel to secure large profits even during the period of economic recession. What is more, the company expects to triple its recurrent profits in FY 2005 over FY 2002 by carrying out a "mid-term consolidated management program" to increase its competitiveness.
The increased profits have been obtained at the expense of workers' safety. Many jobs are assigned to be done single-handed; skills and expertise in safety are not given any priority; and inspections and repairs tend to be neglected until the last moment.
The workers are forced into tight work schedules which do not allow them to even take time to have lunch let alone use paid annual holidays.
Meanwhile, Japan's output of steel and iron in July regained the peak marked 23 years ago, activating its production.
What cannot be overlooked is that steel/iron corporations are ignoring administrative guidances for safety measures. In the face of increased number of deaths at steel workshops, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry last October and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry last May issued extra directives urging the Japan Iron and Steel Federation to take substantial steps to eliminate worker accidents.
Despite these warnings, steel makers are failing to prevent serious accidents. Under their productivity-first policy, makers are reluctant to take comprehensive safety measures; they are only urging workers to "be more cautious to prevent accidents" that makes a "safety-priority" a dead letter.
Steel corporations are compelling workers to be more careful about accidents, letting staff officers patrol workshops and forcing workers to chant "Attention! No more accidents!"
Nippon Steel Nagoya Works gave no notice to the fire station of the explosion, and it is hurrying to resume operations without determining its cause. Such a production-first policy means avoiding their social responsibility.
Drastic safety measures needed
Workers are demanding that steel manufacturers immediately meet their demands at workshops: assign the number of workers necessary to maintain safety and to teach their successors safety techniques; replace unsafe equipment; and take steps to move beyond a mere campaign to promote safety.
It is a social duty for steel manufacturers to insure the safety and health of their workers. They are requested to take immediate steps to eliminate serious accidents. The government must offer detailed guidance and instructions to steel manufacturers to achieve this goal. (end)