THE polychlorinated biphenyl treatment site in Tanapag, which claimed the life of a worker two months ago, will soon resume operations, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.
This time, however, the contractor, Environmental Chemical Corp., is required to meet certain operation and safety changes to meet the requirements of the Army Corps and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Army Corps and ECC completed their separate investigations into the Feb. 16 accident that injured three workers at the project site.
One of the workers, Roberto Alazar, later died at a Manila hospital.
According to the results of the Army Corps’ investigation, Alazar was “burned by superheated dust that flowed from the electrostatic precipitation hopper unit when he opened it.”
The failure of the electrostatic precipitation hopper unit could not have been anticipated, said the Army Corps in a one-page statement.
In an interview on Friday, Frank Ono of the Army Corps said there remains an estimated 15,000 tons of PCB contaminated soil that will be treated once the ITD unit resumes operation.
The original completion date for the treatment was May 2002. Due to the two-month closure, the treatment process may not be completed until July or August, said Ono.
The Tanapag Action Group, meanwhile, raised concern about the Army Corps and ECC’s focus on the Feb. 16 accident while “keeping mum about a similar accident last December.”
Juan I. Tenorio, TAG chairman, said the Army Corps and EPA again failed to maintain an “open line” with Tanapag residents regarding the treatment site as earlier promised.
“There remains no consultation with the public. We still have concerns, like the safety of the workers at the treatment site and the dust emission,” Tenorio added.
Results of the separate investigation conducted by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration are not yet known.
After the Army Corps and EPA accept the operational and safety changes proposed by the project contractor, ECC will resume processing PCB-contaminated soil at the work site.
“Resumption of soil processing is expected to occur this month,” said Army Corps.
Morris Ridenour, ECC site safety and health officer, said the company has acquired new proximity fire suits to be used at the PCB treatment site. The suits can withstand up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit of heat.
In a separate interview on Friday, Ridenour said the suits will be specifically utilized whenever a worker opens an “access hatch” to any of the hoppers.
