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Watchdog bans Sunflag from treating bed nets
2007-05-15 09:51:05
By Adam Ihucha, Arusha
A safety watchdog—the Northern Zone Occupational Safety and Health Authority, (OSHA)—has banned Sunflag Textile Mill (T) Ltd from spraying deadly chemicals to treat mosquito nets as a swift reaction over an incident in which 12 workers collapsed on the production lines after they inhaled toxic chemicals applied on the nets.
OSHA Senior Factory Inspector, Johnas Michael Gao, confirmed the move yesterday.
“It is true that we have banned the spray of deadly chemicals as from Saturday.
The Sunflag management has adhered to our order, pending further investigation over the issue,” Gao told the Guardian.
According to Gao, the suspension order was in line with the law governing occupational safety and health.
He said they had reached the decision so as to save lives of over 140 workers in the mosquito net department of the mill.
On Friday last week, 12 mill workers collapsed after they inhaled chemicals as they were treating mosquito nets.
The workers, mostly young women, fell unconscious on production lines while in the process of packaging recently impregnated mosquito nets, ready for export.
The condition of six of the victims was so serious that they had to be rushed to the regional medical centre the Mount Meru Hospital for treatment.
Those admitted included Wella Mkumbo (29), Mwashamba Hamad (40), Mariam Buko (41), Agnes Samwel (23), Elizabeth Didas (31) and Ethropia Wilbard (32).
Their conditions are improving, according to the medical officer in-charge at Mount Meru, Dr Omar Chande.
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