Lack of basic safety equipment adds to problem of industrial mishaps in AP

VIJAYAWADA: Several industries in AP are lacking even the basic safety mechanism to raise alarm and initiate auto-shut off of troubled equipment, resulting in loss of several lives in the state.

Ever since the LG Polymers’ styrene gas leak mishap in Visakhapatnam in May, 2020, AP has been witnessing a series of industrial mishaps, claiming several lives and causing injuries to many workers.

The industrial mishaps at Akkireddygudem in Eluru district, Tadepalligudem in West Godavari district, Parawada in Anakapalli district and at a sugar refinery near Kakinada were having certain common features. Mainly, they were not having a proper alert system in case of any emergency situation like formation of high pressure, rise in temperature, leakage of gasses or solvents to alert the workers and save their lives.

Such an alert could help in the initiation of auto shutdown of the faulty equipment at such units, as per safety regulations.

This indicates some industrial units show scant regard for compliance with safety norms in terms of maintenance of equipment, handling of a crisis with professionalism and regular training to the work face to deal with emergency situations.

The recent mishap at a bulk drug unit at Parawada in Anakapalli district had the gasket connecting the pipeline that handles toluene solvent started leaking. Workers filled the leaking solvent in two 25kg polythene bags while some ran to get a replacement for the leaking gasket.

The solvent, they knew, was highly inflammable and might catch fire in a jiffy. Yet, curiously, no alarm system got activated to prompt the workers to run to safety. There was no auto shut off of the faulty equipment.

The workers handled the issue in simple ways as plugging the leak of a water pipeline in a kitchen with a polythene bag on a temporary basis. This, until the plumber arrived and attended to the leak.

Four workers handling the crisis died on the spot when the solvent caught fire.

This also showed there was no regular training to the workforce on how to handle such situations and no regular mock drills are being conducted to make the workers prepare to deal with such emergency situations.

Some industrial units even witnessed repeat mishaps like in a sugar refinery near Kakinada and an apparel unit at Anakapalli.

Surprisingly, no departmental action is being initiated by the factories department on the officers who are found to be guilty of lapse in the maintenance of safety norms. No action is being initiated on the industrial units for their lapses except ordering a shut-down of the production in the faulty unit for a while and allowing the other units in the same factory to run as usual.

Ludicrously, the same officers are being asked to carry out a probe into the industrial mishap and submit a report. It is anybody’s guess how an officer guilty of a fault will come up with a fair report. The attempt would be to save himself/herself from trouble.

Though the state government has ordered a special safety drive on industrial units after the LG Polymers mishap in 2020 and called for a third-party safety audit in 2022, a look at the nature of industrial mishaps shows that several of them lacked even the basic safety equipment to raise an alarm and initiate auto shut off of faulty equipment -- which are mandatory as per industrial safety norms.

Visakhapatnam deputy chief inspector of factories, V Suresh, said, “We ordered shut down of block-6 where a mishap took place at a bulk drug unit at Parawada (Anakapalli district) and asked the firm’s management to run a safety review for the entire plant. We are taking up an inquiry into the mishap and shall initiate action if anyone is found guilty.”

• AP is witnessing more industrial mishaps especially from Srikakulam to Vijayawada
• Formation of high pressure, high temperature and leakages are to be detected by sensors; and safety valves and rupture disks should become active automatically so that they will raise an alarm and avoid mishaps
• Though some industries keep safety equipment, lack of their regular maintenance and training for the staff on how to operate these during emergencies make them ineffective