Mittal: Under safety cloud

Galati, July 16: The Romanian steelworks bought by billionaire Lakshmi Mittal with the backing of British Prime Minister Tony Blair is at the centre of a row over deaths and injuries to hundreds of workers in accidents on the site.

Twenty-five people have been killed and 254 were injured at the Galati plant in eastern Romania since it was bought in late 2001 by Mittal, the world’s largest steel magnate, according to state safety inspectors.

His purchase of the business caused controversy after a disclosure that Blair had sent a letter to the Romanian government endorsing the bid after it had succeeded, just weeks after Mittal donated ?125,000 to the Labour party.

Last year, Mittal, one of Britain’s richest men, donated ?2 million to Labour.

Following accidents at the Mittal Steel Galati plant, its management has been accused by trade union representatives of putting employees’ lives at risk due to lack of attention to safety procedures.

Last month, one worker died and three were injured after suffering burns at the plant’s oxygen unit. The three survivors are still in critical condition, with more than 70 per cent burn injuries.

There have been six fatalities at the plant this year, state inspectors say. The company sacked five managers after the most recent incident, which it blamed on “safety procedures not being applied”.

A spokesperson said: “We take safety extremely seriously and leadership must be accountable for ensuring that employees follow the safety procedures set out at all times.”

The company disputes the inspectors’ death and injury counts, but admits that over the same five-year period, 17 employees died from accidents and 203 were injured.

However, it says it has improved safety since Mittal took over the ailing enterprise from state ownership. A spokesperson said: “We have put great emphasis on reducing the injury rates with considerable success. Prior to Mittal Steel’s ownership, the average number of lost work day injuries per year was 147. In 2005, this had been reduced to 32, an improvement of 79 per cent.”