The Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA) has directed Sethi Ferro Fabrik, a steel mill in the country’s Gardensville district in Monrovia, to shut down following an accident at the steel mill.
The mill currently produces approximately 80mt of steel per day, including steel rods, and is the only steel manufacturing facility currently operating in the country.
The agency announced on Monday that the directive was the result of an investigation of the accident on Aug 18 where a conveyor cable failed while carrying a magnetic bed holding steel scrap to be fed into an electric arc furnace containing hot metal. When the magnetic bed fell into the furnace, molten steel splashed causing serious injuries to seven employees. The plant is set to remain closed until corrective measures are put in place, EPA noted.
The Indian-owned steel rod plant was first rolled out in 2019 and employs over 500 people. Ferro Fabrik Limited has installed capacity to produce 150,000mt of rebar per year.