Pittsburgh — The United Steelworkers is looking on the paper industry to guard its staff towards fungal infections – one in every of which has proved lethal.
USW issued an announcement on April 15 after blastomycosis brought about one employee demise and greater than 90 circumstances of illness in Escanaba, MI. The paper mill, owned by Sweden-based Billerud, will shut for as much as three weeks for cleansing, the corporate mentioned in a press launch.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the contractor who lost his life to this infection,” USW International President Tom Conway mentioned. “Moving forward, we cannot allow this to happen again. Rather than waiting to see if cases develop at other paper mills, management across the industry must be proactive and institute robust safeguards now.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blastomycosis is brought on by a fungus that usually resides in decomposing wooden or leaves and moist soil.
“Our top priority now and always is protecting the health and safety of our employees and contractors who work at our Escanaba Mill,” Billerud President and CEO Christoph Michalski mentioned in an organization assertion. “We care deeply about their well-being and are doing everything we can to protect them and identify and address the root cause of the blastomycosis fungal infections.”
