Hanjin subcontractor gets CDO after mishap

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) to a subcontractor of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. following the death of a worker recently.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said DOLE-Central Luzon regional director Raymundo Agravante issued the CDO to Finback Corp. for not complying with the occupational safety and health guidelines of the government.

“The subcontractor of Hanjin… has been ordered to cease and desist from continuing its work until such time that it has complied with safety and health and other labor laws,” Baldoz said.

Recently, 29-year-old Ryan Gacus, a welder and fitter of Finback, died after an oxy-ethylene gas hose he was using in cutting and fit-up work accidentally exploded. He sustained second-degree burns.

 â€œConsidering the condition of the tools used by the victim, the probable cause of the incident is due to the existence of a pinhole at the middle portion of the gas hose used in cutting works,” Agravante said in his report to Baldoz.

“This might have been the result of the set-up or constant pulling of the hose, inside the work area. With such a small leak from the pinhole on the hose, workers could not detect the gas leak from the tools used,” he said.

Agravante added that the “damaged portion of the hose might have been placed near the victim while he was relocating/repositioning the tools for a more comfortable working condition.”