Explosion in Gerdau plant causes death of 3 workers in Minas Gerais
An explosion at a Gerdau plant in Ouro Branco, Minas Gerais, left three dead and one wounded. The blast occurred around 4PM on Monday, but was confirmed only Tuesday by the company.
According to the steelmaker, the workers were service providers of the company Convaço and were maintaining an equipment called a gasometer tower, used in the production of energy from gases released in the steelmaking.
The workers were Douglas Eduardo Neto, 24, Allan Roger Prado, 23, and José Cezar Miguel, 51, the company said. Eli Carlos Almeida Fernandes, 36, who was also working on the maintenance of the equipment, was discharged this morning from the Ouro Branco Foundation Hospital (FOB), where all were taken.
The Union said that “We know and we have already alerted Gerdau Ouro Branco's management that the company's equipment is in poor condition and that the maintenance is superficial," the union's board of directors reported in the Tarugo news report on Wednesday. According to the union, in July of this year Gerdau and other companies in the region were alerted about the high number of accidents."
According to the Metalworkers' Union, Gerdau will be required to create a joint commission between the company and the trade unionists to determine the causes of the accident. The board also said it plans to file suit with the Labor Ministry if Gerdau does not accept the proposal.
The union will also make the legal department of the board available to the families of the three workers who were killed in the blast.
Source : Local Agency