[TheForge] When is a shield not a mask?

[xlch58 at swbell.net]

Sonewhere I have a video tape I made of a tv documentary done by one of 
the sixty minutes folks ( I think).   I am pretty sure it talked about 
workers who were semi blind from working without protection.  I had seen 
it years ago and when I ran into replaying late at night a couple of 
years ago, I taped it, as it was fascinating.   I can't lay my hands on 
it righ6t now.  The documentary was about the shipbreaking industry in 
India.  The ships are brought onto the beaches in Alang at high tide and 
drug up on the shore.   They are then dismantled by mostly unskilled 
labor using whatever they have at hand and paid on what they drag off 
the carcass.  Things like engines and such are handled by a semi skilled 
crew.  The camera caught several scenes as I recall of workers torching 
large assemblies above families working below, with warning shouts as 
the structure started to give.  Everyone spreads out, and returns as 
soon as the object has fallen.  It really is an amazing video to watch.  
Since the documentary was made, the industry has come under fire from a 
number of quarters, so they no longer allow the press in there.   There 
is some writeup on the following sites, mainly about the environmental 
impact.....


http://www.greenpeaceweb.org/shipbreak/india.asp

http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,12559,1244396,00.html

Charles



Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer wrote:
>  He's not given to prevarication. He said that their pupils were sorta 
> white looking. Dunno
> Even if untrue, it's served to motivate me to wear my wee arc welding 
> bonnet....pf
>
> Woolley wrote:
>> No way.
>>
>>
>>> A friend who spent some years in asia said that in some of the 
>>> shipyards he'd seen career welders who worked without eye protection.
>>>  Their children led them to work every morning, put them in 
>>> position, handed them the stinger and as soon as the arc was 
>>> struck...they could see again...'till quitting time....pf