An explosion in the state-run mining and metallurgical enterprise LARCO killed a worker, a 55-year-old father of three. The accident comes a day after the LARCO workers’ union denounced “lack of safety measures.”
The accident took place in the company’s plant in Larymna, the port town in Fthiotis, Central Greece, on Wednesday morning.
The explosion occurred in the area of the electric arc granulation furnaces.
According to LARCO workers’ union, the worker was on a ladder in very close distance from the explosion; its force threw the worker several meters away. He died on the spot in the last shift of his life. He was working for the company for over 15 years.
Three other workers also close to the explosion survived without injuries.
What caused the accident is not clear, so far, however, police has reportedly detained two supervisors.
It is the second accident in the same area since Monday, when a wire rope carrying a bucket loaded with melted metal snapped.
According to workers’ union, maintenance is not conducted in time and there is lack of spare parts. “No funds have been given for maintenance in the last five years,” they denounced. Another deadly accident occurred in summer they told ANT1 TV.
Workers’ union speak of “depreciation of the factory” and ask the government to clarify its intentions and plans for the future.
LARCO was established by Bodossakis-Athanasiadis in 1963. Almost twenty years later, in 1982, the company went under banks control, with the National Bank of Greece (NBG) holding the majority of the share capital.
In 1989, following the liquidation of old LARCO, the new LARCO is established with the major share holders: the NBG, Public Power Corporation (DEH) and the Greek State.
