Safety violations seen at Coomacka timber works

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Safety violations seen at Coomacka timber works
By Johann Earle
Stabroek News
Wednesday, August 15th 2007

Workers, including the woman in the centre of the photo, wearing very
little protective gear despite labouring near dangerous machinery.

Poor working conditions and breaches of safety and health regulations
were complained about yesterday at Bai Shan Lin's wood processing
operations at Coomacka in Region Ten.

During a visit by the media, workers bitterly complained of harsh
treatment and little reward for their work. Bai Shan Lin is owned by a
Chinese company and a Canada-based Chinese investor.

Government had in May banned the company from the exporting of logs
after it failed to comply with timelines set out in its agreement. Back
in January, the company said that it planed to invest US$100M over the
next three years for value added processing as well as timber
harvesting. It had expressed the hope to have an annual production
capacity of between 300,000 and 500,000 cubic metres.

On a visit to the operations yesterday, reporters were greeted by the
sight of workers not wearing any form of protection despite working
inches away from high-powered band saws. There were no safety boots, no
goggles, no gloves and in some cases, no face masks.

The reporters and a team from the European Union (EU) including
Ambassador Geert Heikens, and a team from the Linden Economic
Advancement Programme (LEAP) - visitors to the operations - were given
no safety helmets (hard hats) or any other form of protection.

This young man is handling a huge piece of lumber using no gloves. He
is also shirtless, something unacceptable in modern sawmill
environments.

Some worker wore slippers, vests, short pants and other garments
unsuited for the industrial environment they were in. Some of them
complained that they have no proper place to eat lunch while their
Chinese counterparts had a place designated for eating.

Further, the Guyanese workers are restrained in their movements in ways
that the Chinese workers are not. Posted up in the saw mill was a sign
which said that all Guyanese workers desirous of leaving the worksite
must first obtain permission from the management or else they will be
immediately dismissed. The mill is staffed by about 45 Guyanese and
about 35 Chinese nationals.

Asked about the apparent disregard for safety regulations, the site
manager Earl Julien said that in many instances the workers receive the
necessary safety equipment and clothing, but he said that the workers
take them home and never bring them back or return. He said that the
company can ill afford to bear the replacement costs.

One of the Guyanese who spoke to reporters said that when there is a
blackout and no work could be done, they are asked to go home and they
are not paid for such days. The Guyanese men earn between $1,200 and
$1,500 a day while the women make $1,000 a day.

And there is no written contract that the Guyanese workers sign when
they commence employment, they told this newspaper. This, Julien
acknowledged. He said that the company just records the names of the
workers so that they could be paid.

As part of its programme in Linden, LEAP and its sister component, the
Linden Economic Advancement Fund (LEAF), assisted in the coordination
of the Bai Shan Lin project as a means of facilitating the employment
of people in Linden. Most of the Guyanese workers at the factory are
from Linden.

Speaking to Stabroek News last night, Bai Shan Lin Administrative
Manager Karen Canterbury said that she is aware of some of the safety
issues on the logging camp. But she said that the company's policy is
to adhere to the safety regulations and they issue safety gear to the
workers, some of whom don't bring them back. She said that the company
is not in the practice of turning back workers who show up without the
issued safety gear. Canterbury also said that she wasn't sure whether
safety helmets were a requirement at such sites.

She said that the plans are moving apace and that the company is very
close to acquiring its permit for the construction and operation of an
integrated wood processing plant. She said that this plant would be
producing veneer, floor boards and panel doors when completed.

Up to the time of its being banned, the company had brought in more
than US$10M worth of various kinds of logging equipment from China and
other countries. The company had already received a sum of US$5.1M to
facilitate the project.

According to Canterbury, the company would not have gone ahead and
brought in the equipment if it wasn't confident that its value-adding
operations would have been commencing soon.

It plans to establish two large-scale timber processing factories in
Linden and Georgetown. The Coomacka property was purchased from Jaling
Company and discussions had been ongoing with Government officials
about the expansion of the factory site.

The company is 49 per cent owned by BUCC, a construction company in
China which has businesses in various countries. Funding for Bai Shan
Lin comes directly from BUCC.

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