Two workers died and three others were injured in the blast of a boiler machine at the Heineken brewery in Jacarei, at morning, Thursday, January 28.
They were outsourced workers, employees of a company which provides services for Heineken running tests and in charge of the boilers machine maintenance.
A worker was seriously injured with third-degree burns and was taken to the Municipal Hospital of São José dos Campos city. Heineken prohibited the entry of the Food Workers Union directors and the CIPA members to the incident site.
Boilers Machine
The blast caused a strong impact that, as a result, caused the partial destruction of the plant shed. The incident took place at about 9 am, when the workers were carrying out tests on the boilers. The causes of the accident are still unknown.
The boiler machine which blasted supplied the running of the brewery machines with steam and compressed air. This equipment worked with oil and was being re-adapted by Heineken to work with gas, a change that would allow Heineken to have a lower cost.
Excessive working hours
The excessive working hours and the production fast pace at the Heineken plant had already been denounced by the Food Workers Union to the Public Labor Ministry.
The boiler machine which blasted supplied the running of the brewery machines with steam and compressed air. This equipment worked with oil and was being re-adapted by Heineken to work with gas, a change that would allow Heineken to have a lower cost.
Excessive working hours
The excessive working hours and the production fast pace at the Heineken plant had already been denounced by the Food Workers Union to the Public Labor Ministry. Furthermore, Heineken has been re-structuring the production and dismissing workers. Currently, Heineken employs 400 employees who work in three shifts.
«The Union, as well as the workers, demand a rigorous investigation of the accident and also demand that Heineken provides all the needed assistance to the families of these workers», said Valter da Silva, director of the Food Workers Union of São José dos Campos and Region.
Solidarity
Workers and many unions of the region made an protest in front of Heineken factory this Friday (29) in solidarity with the victims of the explosion that took place yesterday and in repudiation of the lack of safety conditions in the company.
About 200 people participated in the protest. With banners they demanded a rigorous investigation about the causes of the accident and more government supervision to avoid that further events like this happen again.
http://www.sindmetalsjc.org.br/sindicato/internacional/detalhe/1087/two+workers+die+in+a+blast+at+heineken+plant+in+the+city+of+jacarei+brazil.htm
