Safety First

When you have 700+ workers and lots of needles and knives, safety is always first in your mind - even when it comes to the little fishing pond next to your factory.

When I first arrived here 4 years ago, you could actually see the water, and people would fish there on weekends. Some of the fish were caught and served up at yearly parties for all the workers.

Then, about 2 years ago, an alien plant was introduced to the pond by an entrepreneurial fisherman. The plant was supposed to provide additional food and nutrients for the fish and help them multiply. Instead, the plant multiplied, covering the entire pond in less than 2 weeks. I remember standing along the edge of the pond and marveling at the speed at which this plant had reproduced.



But soon after it had filled the pond, we started to notice a smell.

This plant, which was supposed to feed the fish had, in turn, covered the entire surface of the pond and was preventing the fish from getting oxygen to the point where they were slowly dying underneath.

We had a team of guys in the pond, collecting dead fish and trying to scoop out the tons of foliage. It didn't work. The plants were growing back faster than they could get them out, and eventually, all the fish died.

Here's a pic of the failed rescue attempt.




We lived with the plants until the cold season (winter) when they finally disappeared, but since then, there have been no more fish.

A couple months ago, I noticed a thin green film beginning to cover the pond, but it wasn't nearly as threatening as the alien plant. I could still see the water, and I even hoped that one day we would have free fish available again.

That was until today. Perhaps, I had not paid attention, but sometime in the last week or two, the layer of green algae had turned into a thick green carpet and was beginning to smell.




Some guys tried to scoop it up, but to no avail. It simply filled in where it had been taken away.

A worker standing next to me said this was serious, and we needed to do something about it immediately.

I asked if it was poisonous or hazardous to the health of our staff.

No, no it's fine, he told me. However, he did voice his concern that a drunk guy passing by may mistake it for grass, fall in and drown - Safety First.