Contrary to media reports suggesting that United Steel Company, a steel manufacturing firm within the Tema Free Zones Enclave has been closed down by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over air pollution, Awake News’ investigations found otherwise.
The alleged closure of the company was widely reported in the media on September 18, 2020, just a day after the newly appointed Executive Director of EPA, Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu made an unannounced visit to the company.
In the media reports, it was alleged that “over 400 workers at United Steel Company, a steel manufacturing firm within the free zones enclave at Tema, have been laid off following the shutdown of the company by the government.“
According to the report published on CitiNewsRoom.com, GhanaWeb.com and aired on some radio stations including Brty FM, “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered the closure of the facility due to its failure to adhere to a directive by the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology to find ways of addressing air pollution from its activities.”
The media reports stated that whiles addressing journalists during a tour of the United Steel Company facility, Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu said despite the economic benefits derived from the operation of the factory, it will remain closed until management fixes its pollution challenges.
400 workers sitting at home is not a pleasant situation. As much as we want our young men and women to work, as much as we want the needed revenue to come in the form of taxes and all that, we cannot compromise on the integrity of the environment. Pollution and all others, we know the consequences that they bring, so we will work within the law.
However, Awake News’ investigations, on September 18th, 19th, and 20th indicates that the company has not closed down as reported in the media but still working.
During the visit by Awake News’ Editor, Efo Korsi Senyo on these three occasions, it was discovered that the factory is still in full operations day and night even as at the time of filing this report.
In an interview with some staffs of the United Steel Company on condition of anonymity, they revealed that though top management had met on Friday, September 18, 2020, over the visit of the EPA Boss, the company had not communicated any information of the closure to them.
The top management – the white people, of the company met over the visit of the EPA Boss, we were not told that the company had shutdown. We are still working as you can see.
When asked if we can speak to any of the top management of the company, this is what the staff had to say:
Weekend like this, the top management people close at 1pm. So right now, none is in the office. You can come on Tuesday.
Background:
If readers can recall, on July 14, 2020, Awake News released an investigative report titled “Heavy air pollution at Tema Free Zone; one dead, other workers at risk” detailing the plights of workers at the area and the dangers they are exposed to as a result of the air pollution activities by the United Steel and Rider Steel Companies.
In that report, an Engineer in an interview with Awake News warned if the situation; which he attributed to possible non-fixing of proper filtering systems and or regular cleansing of filters, persists without being corrected could lead to the explosion of the furnaces of the company.
He empathized that the operation of only the primary filter and lack of proper cleansing of the filter can also cause an explosion of the machines during operations.
On August 24, 2020, like the Engineer warned, one of the furnaces of the United Steel Company exploded injuring nine (9) workers of the company.
Reports of the closure of the company:
On July 1, 2020, it was reported by DailyGuide newspaper that “The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation has stopped United Steel Company, a private steel manufacturing company, and some others from operating over pollution“. However, during Awake News’ investigations at the time indicated the company was still in operation until the explosion of the furnaces which could not even stop them.
EPA’s directives on the closure of the company:
On August 6, 2020, thirty-five (35) days after there were media reports that the Environment Minister, Prof. Frimpong Boateng had closed done the company, a letter sighted by Awake News from the EPA addressed to the Managing Director of United Steel Company with the subject “Notice of Closure: Enforcement Notice – Section 13 of The Environmental Protection Agency Atc, 1994 (ACT 490)” said “We refer to your letter of July 2, 2020 which requested for a one-week extension to complete the installation of your Secondary Pollution Control System by July 22, 2020”.
The letter continued that “A follow-up surveillance around your facility indicated that you have failed to install the Secondary Pollution System as at August 5, 2020”.
“You are therefore directed to shut down all offending activities including the induction furnaces re-heating furnaces, Continuous Casting Machines and their auxiliary equipment, which are the primary sources of the pollution until you complete the installation of a functional Secondary Pollution Control System.”
The EPA on August 12, 2020 wrote to the Municipal Police Commander of Kpone-Katamanso for security protection for the closure of United Steel Company. 
However, Awake News’ investigations revealed that the EPA did not enforce their own directive hence leaving the company to continue operations without fixing the primary sources of the pollution.
The World Health Organisation has estimated that air pollution from all sources caused about 28,000 deaths in 2016.
According to WHO, outdoor pollution caused 2,000 deaths in 2017.
By: Efo Korsi Senyo / awakenewsroom.com