Shipbuilding and maintenance is a heavy industry, although it is not legally defined in this category, and shipyards are among the places that come to the fore with frequent death news as a result of insufficient worker health and safety precautions. Shipyards, whose owners are freed from legal obligations, such as having an occupational safety specialist and a doctor based on their legal status are major risk areas in terms of occupational murders and occupational diseases. With the new type of Coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic, the shipyards, where thousands of workers worked side by side, has become even more dangerous places.

 

THE PANDEMI WILL AFFECT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

 

One of these shipyards is Tersan Shipyard in Altınova district of Yalova. According to the information obtained at the shipyard where approximately 5,000 workers work, effective preventive measures against coronavirus have not been taken yet. Stating that the mandatory Sunday-shift imposition still goes on, the shipyard workers stated that only some measures have been taken to reduce the density in the dining halls. Although the virus is known to stay alive on metal surfaces for 5 hours, the workers stated that there was no disinfectant work on the surfaces of the ships, and that the occupational health measures were not taken especially in the fields such as grinding, which causes respiratory diseases.

 

The shipyard workers shared that in the changing rooms, where hundreds of workers were changing their clothes side by side, are also in the same condition. Workers warned that the health of thousands of workers working here would be compromised unless the necessary measures are taken.

 

MA/ Tolga Güney