Steel industry - New troubles, old hazards in steel plants Author: Luis Millan, Canadian Occupational Safety magazine
The steel industry is going through tough times. Again. Except this time the combination of high energy costs, low demand, dwindling prices and a flood of cheap imports has left Canada's steel industry reeling on the financial ropes. Over the past year, two out of the dozen steel companies operating on Canadian soil have sought bankruptcy protection while a couple of others have tried to avoid that fate by financially restructuring.
No wonder, then, that health and safety issues appear to take a back seat. Occupational health experts and union leaders are beginning to see tell-tale signs that all is not well. Workers, well-paid and well into their late forties, are now willing to put up with aches and pains, avoiding shaking things up in a teetering industry. "It's obvious that what's going on in the industry is playing a role," says René Bellemare, health and safety director with the United Steelworkers union.