"management... minimized ... accidents or hidden them away."

The APSB views safety as a wall with many pieces; corporate management, plant managers, ehs managers, workers, union, contractors, etc. Sometime if these pieces do not work together for the greater good cracks appear, and safety suffers.

This is an interesting posting whose source was a labor union publication. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog decided to post this story because it brings light to the relationship that a union in a country has with an aluminium company which has multiple locations. The APSB has stated that the relationship between the plant safety officer and the plant manager is vital to achieving a safe working environment. We would like to add that for facilities that are unionized we would like to state that the relationship between the union and plant management is vital to achieving a safe working environment. Through our travels around the globe we have been honored to see some of the safest facilities. On the other hand we have toured facilities that were not safe. Some of the plants were unionized and some were not. But each and every plant that was successful in achieving a safe working environment the plant management and workers had a good relationship.

Below is a story of a union whose relationship with the management of an aluminium company is to say the least strained.

A local union report that since the last week of October 2015, there have been four incidents at the plant, which produces cathodes for the aluminum industry. However, the management appears to have minimized the gravity of the accidents in its reports or hidden them away.

At the beginning of November 2015, a worker suffered facial trauma when a cathode was broken during a loading operation. The worker returned home by his own means without getting any medical advice but needed several days off work to recover.

However, management failed to report the work stoppage or the worker’s injuries, instead classifying the accident as a quasi-incident with a moderate potential outcome.

At the end of November, an employee fell in the steel foundry workshop and again needed several days off work. The accident was not even declared.

During the same period, two further incidents took place. Although no injuries were incurred, they caused serious damage to metal structures at the plant. One of the incidents could have had grave consequences for workers. Unions report that no TapRoot (accident) investigation has been conducted, despite claims by management to the contrary.

“This practice is not restricted to (this plant). Unions at aluminium company in a number of countries have informed (this Union organization publication) that the parent company discourages injury reporting,” says Assistant General Secretary of of the union.

In October, the aluminum company expressed its concerns about the increase in the number of safety incidents at the plant since the beginning of 2015. In a letter to workers, aluminium company claimed that management had taken measures to improve the health and safety situation at the plant.

However, the lack of disclosure of correct figures or analysis of the causes of incidents seems in direct contradiction to aluminium company’s claim.

All the incidents occurred in an atmosphere of high pressure and anxiety for workers. The aluminium company employs hundreds of people in (several nearby locations).

In the operations that the aluminium company still runs in (this country), the company is increasingly turning to outsourcing. In one plant, the aluminium company outsourced part of the stock activities and transportation. The company was also planning to outsource some maintenance work but a labour dispute led aluminium company to renounce further outsourcing for the time being.

“Occupational health and safety is a rights issue rather than just a technical matter,” says Assistant General Secretary of the union.

“Workers have the right to know and participate in safety matters which doesn’t seem to be the case at the aluminium company in (this country). The lack of reporting brings their safety figures into question and risks lives. We call upon (the aluminium company) to act properly”.

The allegations that the union makes to the aluminium company and their multiple locations in this country is serious. We have chosen to leave off the company name and the country because it is our hope not to place blame but to bring about a discussion. Also, the aluminium company may have a different point of view.

Regardless, this story has numerous points that aluminium plants are dealing with currently. The outsourcing of positions in aluminium plants have grown exponentially over the past decade. In many cases the outsourced workers do not join the plant union. Resulting in less union membership. This is one among a myriad of reasons why the introduction of outsourcing in a plant can bring about tension with unions that can have a negative effect on overall plant safety. We are sadden to admit that we have heard aluminium workers who have said that they do not care if outsourced (i.e., contractors) employees are hurt on the job. When we hear these statements, we are always shocked and saddened. The workers simply do not understand. It is the job of the company management and plant management to eliminate the attitude of “us versus them” from developing. Every worker no matter if their paycheck is from the aluminium plant owner or an outside company should leave their place of employment just as they arrived.

The allegations of under reporting the severity of the incidents by the union in this story is a concern. The country’s government safety organization will hopefully investigate this allegation. Unfortunately, the APSB has noticed under reporting of incidents in some isolated companies. We are at loss of why it occurs. We shake our head in disbelief on why. The APSB editors know too well the positive actions that can result when an incident is properly reported. On the other hand we acknowledge the horrors that can results, the injuries that can occur, the widows that arise, and the children who realize a life without parent when incidents are not properly reported. Why? Because, at some point that unreported incident will be replicated and this time mame or kill the worker.

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