During the night of December 6, 2007 a fire broke out on the production line of the cold rolling mill in Turin. Four employees of ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni tragically lost their lives. Three employees were seriously injured.
Based on our current knowledge, the severe consequences of the fire were the result of an unfortunate sequence of events. The exact cause of the blaze is still under investigation. The fact that the fire was due to inadequate security standards has not yet been proven.
ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni, which has 3,500 employees, has launched a 300 million euro investment program in order to strengthen and expand its production site in Terni. The objective is to make the company one of the best stainless steel producers in Europe. In connection with this program, the decision was taken in the middle of this year to relocate the last remaining steel production site from Turin to Terni. In July an agreement was reached with the trade unions under which the production site is to be relocated to Terni step by step by September 2008. ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni has offered jobs in Terni to all employees and has reached mutual agreements on the employees’ future (outplacement, retirement, short-time work, etc). No employees have been dismissed under this agreement.
Although production has since been reduced to 30 percent of the original capacity, the company has continued to invest as before in maintenance and servicing of the equipment. This equipment will be dismantled and rebuilt in Terni, where it will continue to produce material meeting our customers’ highest quality requirements. This can only be achieved by equipment in the best possible condition.
ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni has continued to maintain high security standards at all times, which are regularly inspected by the local security office (ASL). It is part of the company’s philosophy to exceed official requirements for security at work. Despite the relocation of equipment, the reduction of production capacities and the related reduction in staff, there have not been any cutbacks in the company firefighting or medical services.
Also, the amount of overtime worked by employees has decreased continuously during this period. Average overtime currently stands at 3.5 hours per employee per month, which is very low compared to other steel manufacturers.
ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni intends to fully clarify the cause and course of the accident. The company will be at the full disposal of the investigating authorities and is offering to provide the help of its internal experts.
Moreover, ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni is supporting all measures taken to help the families of the accident victims. “Our sympathies are with the families of the victims,” emphasizes Harald Espenhahn, the executive managing director of ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni. “We are aware of our responsibility toward the families of the victims and the injured employees and will meet this responsibility in an exemplary way.”