2021

Up In Flames: Egyptian labs and their employees’ lives

Country/area: Egypt

Organisation: Cairo 24 – Arij

Organisation size: Big

Publication date: 30 Jun 2020

Credit: Nada Omar

Project description:

 This investigative investigation, which lasted for a year, documents the non-compliance of governmental research laboratories in Egypt with the standard specifications of the research laboratories, which caused the lives of researchers and workers to be endangered and killed

 

Our investigator spoke to six injured in the Centre’s labs, including researchers and workers. Four were exposed to severe injuries from burns, fractures, inhalation of dangerous gases and exposure to parasites and toxic bacteria. During a visit, the investigation documented the absence of occupational health and safety factors and equipment in 12 of the research laboratories.

Impact reached:

The investigation had powerful impacts 

The Egyptian Parliament sent a briefing request to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Environment, after the information documented by the investigation

 

Administrative control in Egypt conducted an examination of what was mentioned in the investigation and prepared those responsible for these laboratories and referred them for investigation.

 

The formation of committees to examine the laboratories, and this was also proven by the investigation

Techniques/technologies used:

Several tools were used

 

The investigation was designed in a cross-media fashion

 

Included

 

Video graph

 

Info graph

 

Data design

 

A survey

 

Analyze the survey results

What was the hardest part of this project?

The hardest part is getting inside the research laboratories and shooting inside them.

 

Because the law prohibits filming inside research laboratories

 

The second thing is to persuade researchers to talk because speaking to the media threatens to dismiss them

 

The third thing is to prove that the cause of infection is the failure of the laboratories to comply with the standard specifications, because most researchers’ injuries are diseases that have multiple causes such as cancer, virus infection and others

What can others learn from this project?

Insistence on accessing and documenting information

Project links:

arij.net/investigations/Flammable-EN/

arij.net/flammable/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_o3NxY4TgA&feature=emb_logo

www.cairo24.com/reports/715791/%d8%a8%d8%b3%d8%a8%d8%a8-%d8%aa%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%8a%d9%82-%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%a8%d9%84%d8%a9-%d9%84%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b4%d8%aa%d8%ba%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%b7%d9%84%d8%a8-%d8%a5%d8%ad%d8%a7%d8%b7%d8%a9-%d9%85