DOLE: Proper precaution could have averted blast

The regional office of the Department of Labor and Employment said proper precautions could have averted the explosion of a liquefied petroleum gas tank in Mandaue City that killed two people and injured 11 others.

Investigation conducted by DOLE's safety engineers revealed that the LPG tanks were placed in an area inside the Gene's Laundry Shop that had inadequate ventilation, and only one exhaust fan in the comfort room was seen.

DOLE regional director Elias Cayanong, however, said laundry shops are not on their list of hazardous workplaces. Among the top hazardous occupations listed by the DOLE are in construction, manufacturing, pyrotechnics, quarrying and agriculture, especially in the use of insecticides.

He explained that the accident could have been prevented if there was proper handling of the LPG tanks and adequate ventilation. A leak in the LPG tank of the laundry shop could have been the source of the explosion, he added.

Fire officials reportedly attributed the explosion to the LPG tank leak but the DOLE is still conducting its own investigation to determine the cause of the incident. The DOLE steps in and assists in the investigation process, particularly on work-related accidents, to come up with the necessary and additional measures to prevent another accident, according to Cayanong.

Vicente Abordo, a safety engineer of DOLE regional office, said they went to the explosion site to validate the cause of the accident. They have not come up with any conclusive finding since they have yet to talk with the vital witness who is still in the hospital.

On the other hand, Efren de los Reyes, another DOLE safety engineer who was part of the team that inspected the accident site, said the area where the LPG tanks were placed had inadequate ventilation. Only an exhaust fan in the comfort room was seen, he said.

Records from DOLE regional office showed only six fatalities caused by work-related accidents mostly from the construction sites from January to June this year. The two fatalities caused by the recent explosion inside the laundry shop were the first coming from a non-hazardous occupation and considered an isolated case, Cayanong said.

The labor official said the laundry explosion serves as an eye-opener as firms that used LPG tanks are strictly required to have a fire extinguisher and proper ventilation. The fire department and the Office of the Building Official are the primary agencies that will check whether the rest of laundry shops operating in Cebu have the proper ventilation, Cayanong added.

He explained that having the proper ventilation eases the pressure of the gas fumes heavily contained in an area, contrary to inadequate ventilation where the pressure of the gas fumes increases. A small spark from a switch or cell phone will cause the leaking tanks to explode, he stressed.

Abordo said that based on statistics, 88 percent of work-related accidents happen due to unsafe acts or human negligence and only 10 percent is charged to unsafe working conditions while the remaining two percent is credited to 'an act of God' or 'force of nature.'

Cayanong said the management of the laundry shop has an administrative liability and the responsibility to ensure that employees are within safe working conditions. But as to the owner's culpability on the death of the two victims and the injury of 14 others who are non-employees is for the court to decide. - Wenna A. Berondo/LPM