Industrial Accidents in the DR

Keith R

"Believe it!"
Jan 1, 2002
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www.temasactuales.com
Some of you may think that industrial accidents are just a health & safety issue, but I don't, especially when the industries in question are involved with toxic, corrosive, or highly combustible materials.

For those of you that read Spanish, there are three pretty interesting articles in an Argentine online mag by two Dominican engineers on recent accidents of this sort in the DR, and what it implies for the need to change the regulatory & operating regime & practices in the country.

One article discusses the implications of the Nov. 13, 2003 propane explosion in Villa Agricola: http://www.estrucplan.com.ar/Articulos/envasadora.asp

Another discusses the June 2003 Smith Enron incident (it also mentions the Feb. 27, 2003 gas tanker explosion in West SD): http://www.estrucplan.com.ar/Articulos/neron.asp

The third discusses the issue in general: http://www.estrucplan.com.ar/Articulos/globalizacion1.asp

They raise alot of interesting issues & ideas. For example, why isn't this issue taken more seriously in the DR? Why is it currently taken solely as an in-factory issue, when it has broader impacts and should be tackled as such? How can the DR take what nice rules it already has on paper & make them be put into practice? What kind of education is needed, and who should design & implement it? Do foreign companies, especially those in free zones, have laxer practices they would never dare have in other markets?

They say "En nuestro pa?s la seguridad e higiene industrial es una de las ?reas que han sido minimizada por las mayor?as de las empresas existentes desde el centro del hogar hasta las mas grandes industrias . Pero tambi?n enfatizamos en otro trabajo que presentamos que: 'Observamos con mucho dolor y frustraci?n que se habla de seguridad Industrial s?lo cuando ocurren accidentes que trasciende el ?mbito donde ocurrieron'."

One last thing: one of the people commenting on the articles, a Dominican, lamented that (1) most press in the DR often do not even report these incidents, much less report it well; (2) there are no good statistics available to enable a solid understanding of the true dimensiones of the problem.

Do you believe the remark about the press is true? Are such things under-reported, or badly reported, in the DR?

More food for thought...

Regards,
Keith
:glasses:
 
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PJT

Silver
Jan 8, 2002
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Food for thought. A plausible reason for the under-reporting and no statistics is a fear of discouraging foreign investment and manufacturing operations and services for this econimically deprived country. It is a carry-over and marketing of Dominican cultural behaviour not to take direct responsibility for anything, unless you have something to gain from it. If the press reported every I.A. and the government maintained strict oversight of health and safety issues would you think foreign companies would invest in the D.R.? Foreign Companies are looking for the bottom line savings in order to gain the highest profits for their off-shore investments. If they had to concern themselves to report every I.A., conform to host country safety regulations, hold themselves out to govt. fines for safety non-compliance, and submit to accident in the workplace civil lawsuits having large rewards in the D.R., they would not give this island the steam off of their crap.

Therefore, the government and the kowtowing press don't give a hoot about the health or hazard concerns of Jose or Juana in the workplace, it would discourage domestic and foreign investment. Unless something blows up right in their face. Regards, PJT