Observers of the operations of New Britain Palm Oil have raised serious concerns about a recent audit of the companies operations and their certification as sustainable. The concerns (see below) include health and saftey issues, sanitation and overcrowding, environmental issues and even corruption.

1.     Occupational Health & Safety

i.  NBPOL has had three deaths (unreported) in the last 4 months at its West New Britain operations. One of the deaths involved a child labourer (11 years old) who was riding on a plantation tractor mudguard and subsequently fell under the wheels and was crushed to death, the second an electrocution due to faulty wiring at Kumbango Mill and the most recent in June, a man working at Numundo mill was dragged along a conveyor and crushed when the conveyor he was working on was started. This follows on from the 5 unreported deaths that occurred in 2010. Did NBPOL officially report the deaths at Kimbe in accordance with the PNG legislation and acts for OHS?

ii.  Does NBPOl have a real safety management plan and when was it updated?

iii.  What are the outcomes and recommendations for each of the fatalities? Is there any safety training? Are any recommendations followed up and enforced?

iv.  What has really happened after the deaths, did anything change , what are the recommendation and what "real" corrective actions/training have occurred, particularly with the Transport division? Why are there so many deaths? David Effi was caught in the Transport crusher last year as John Benseman and his team removed the safety guards, no one ever told the family that, they think it was just a sad accident and sorry money was paid. Did NBPOL tell Henry Effi the truth or did he get the report?

v.  Why has an employee been appointed as the environmental/OHS officer to Sustainability with zero qualifications?

2.      Social

i.  Overcrowding at Mosa Compound (1900+ people) - where is the report conducted by Salatiel the housing officer and Sustainability Department? Salatiel has the audit he conducted on Mosa Compound with 1900 people (extreme overcrowding). This audit  was undertaken in late 2010 with the sustainability department. All compounds have significant overcrowding and poor housing issues. The reports are all there, but the auditors have not looked. Houses in many areas, Numundo compound, Hella are in dire straits and disrepair. Housing is appalling.  Have there been any new houses built for employees? Do they incorporate power points for fans, fridges, stereos etc...?

ii.  Why do the new houses at Dami not have kuk/cook houses? Employees have had to build makeshift areas for cooking as the company will not provide any funds for housing.

iii.  What if any real action has been taken on the social mitigation plan? If there is any action taken to develop a robust Social mitigation plan. Who has prepared it? Where is the evidence that is not just rehashed reports from last year and previous outdated reports from years gone by?

iv.  There are other reports of child deaths, rapes and assaults. Enquire at Dr John Lee Moss medical clinic for data I don’t think auditors have found information here.

3.     Septic issues

i.  For years NBPOL promised to fix septic issues at Daru, Daliavu, Sapiuri. Not one thing has been done. People are living in sewerage as it flows back from the in ground septic tanks into their houses. Lots of talk but no management action to overcome this. Would you live in this house with septic flowing into it?  Children have unusual skin conditions in Sapauri, Daliavu, Garu. Interviews at these sites will reveal more. as long as no managers are present and just talking privately with the employees.

4.      Safety/Environment Sustainability appointment and management

i.   The newly appointed OHS/Environment person – Mr. Mark Hadfield. Does he have qualifications on safety or environment? 

ii.  How was he appointed?  

iii.  What qualifications does the Acting Manager of Sustainability have to undertake this role? He crashed his vehicle 2-3 month ago at Bebere Nursery corner while drunk, returning from New Mosa Club with young students in his car. Has this incident been reported?

5.      High Conservation Value 

i.   What is happening at Silivuti?

ii.  Is there not a moratorium with Greenpeace to not develop sites larger than 500 hectares?

iii.  There is talk of a "precautionary" approach at Silivuti with clearing the entire area up to the marsh in the middle. What does this mean and is it factual?

iv.  Where are the Habitat Management Plans, are they truly current and have any really been completed? It was proposed that many would be done, but in fact how many have been completed?

v.  The clearing has been continuing unabated , why is this happening?

vi.  Can NBPOL transparently inform where else plans for expansions are taking place?

6.      Transport Department

i.  Drivers are demanding bribes from Smallholders – payments are demanded to add one smallholders block FFB to anthers to boost the others income. Hard to prove but its factual. No one will speak out as they are scared of Transport.

ii.  Transport still works greater than 12 hour shifts. This is a very dangerous practice and causes accidents. In one at Tamare in 2008 a fruit truck crashed at 5.30am in the morning. Another accident occurred recently (May) at Talasea in which a fruit truck almost collided with a PMV truck resulting in a girl from Pangalu Village falling off the PMV and dying instantly when a wheel crushed her skull. NBPOL refused to entertain the query from the girl’s relatives.

iii.  Are there any "real" records of shifts for transport? Excessive hours put people’s lives at risk on the roads. John Benseman will have them please check with him.

iv.  There has been change in the pickup for FFB recently with VOP and settlers/block holders– the change has been from two weekly to monthly – Have people been informed of why the change? The action has resulted in bunches rotting on nets.

v.  Pangalu, Liapo and Wakanakai VOP – there has been no pick up in the last two months, what is the explanation for this?

7.      Alcohol

i.  What about the rollout of the 5 new breath testers bought 6 months ago.

ii.  Where are they? Have they been rolled out?

iii.  What records are there of testing with these new units?

8.      Environment

i.  Waisisi damage to the road etc... Run off from Waisisi plantation and the damage it is causing

ii.  Just turn right just before the Hoskins airport and view for yourself.

iii.  Also there is a report on this matter with Sustainability and Plantations - has anything has been done about it?

Finally, are Smallholders selected by NBPOL for the auditors to interview? It would be much better for the auditors to select their own interviewees....