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PACIFIC BRIEFS
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Posted on Feb 13 2001
bOSHA fines A. Samoa firm
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (PIR) – The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined an American Samoa construction company $13,500 for nine violations of federal safety standards.
OSHA began investigating CBT Lumber and Hardware in November following the death of an employee at the company’s cement plant.
OSHA said the company lacks procedures to safeguard the company’s workers from direct exposure to moving machinery parts, such as cement mixer blades.
CBT also was cited for not reporting the accident to the nearest OSHA office within eight hours.
Niue population drops to 1,857
ALOFI, Niue (PIR) – Niue’s population continues to dip.
The latest government figures indicate a downturn of 0.4 percent since September’s report, with the current resident population at 1,857.
Males dominate females 944 to 913.
The average age of the resident population is 31 years, with 51 percent of the population aged 29 years or younger. Three residents on Niue are over the age of 90.
Non-ethnic Niueans from 19 different countries make up 13.5 percent of the population The largest group is Tongan, followed by Tuvaluans and New Zealanders.
Tourism boom predicted for French Polynesia
PAPE’ETE, French Polynesia (PIR) – President Gaston Flosse said tourism in the French territory is increasing and could reach an annual 350,000 visitors by 2005.
Flosse made the comments during talks with visiting New Zealand officials on a possible open skies agreement.
Among the matters discussed were the possibility of increasing flights between Auckland and Pape’ete and adding Air New Zealand flights between Auckland and both Frankfurt and London, with stops in Pape’ete and Los Angeles.
Air New Zealand’s European flights formerly traveled via Honolulu.
