3 Sep 2011

Esso Highlands accused of neglecting worker safety

7:40 am on 3 September 2011

A departing ex-pat worker in Papua New Guinea's LNG Project says that staff in the Southern Highlands province's Hela region have deep concerns over their safety.

This follows a series of attacks on foreign workers by local people reportedly aggrieved at not having jobs in the Project.

However, a project construction worker named Rob who has just completed his contract, says management has not provided extra security.

""

They're wondering why nobody wants to go back to work. I think the last percentage of turnover of ex-pats there was sixty percent. And I reckon after that incident with the boy getting the machete over the head, it'll go up a fair bit. There's nobody out there working up there who isn't looking - put it like that - it's pretty full-on.

Meanwhile, the head of Esso Highlands Ltd, denies that the company is neglecting staff security.

Peter Graham has also defended the project's record with hiring locals, saying 1400 of the 1800-strong workforce at Komo are nationals.