There was a chemical accident occurred at M/s. Jindal Vijayanagar Steels Limited, Torangallu, Bellary District, which is an integrated steel factory in which corex gas technology is adopted for production of alloy steels. Corex gas generated and used contains 40% of Carbon Monoxide. Converters are used for production of steel wherein the molten metal from adjacent plant will be taken into it and lanced by oxygen, while doing so, the impurities in Iron such as Carbon etc., in the form oxides such as Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Di Oxide and other oxides come out as a converter gas along with some impurities and dust. This converter gas will be fed into Scrubber system provided to neutralize the excess and escaped fugitive gases from the process. The net work of pipelines of the said system ends at the sludge pit with water seal arrangement. The sludge collected is required to be removed periodically. The converter gas contains 65-70% of carbon monoxide, which is highly toxic.

On 15.3.2001 the management have taken up the work of cleaning of the sludge pit by employing contract labourers in addition to company’s supervisors and managers. During that time the main plan was shut down for maintenance. The sludge pit was measuring 2.75m length, 3m width and 3.9m depth. The method adopted to remove the sludge was to initially take out the water manually from the pit by suing buckets and rope and then remove the sludge. For these works, two workmen were employed. One was allowed/required inside the pit and the another was standing on the ground. While carrying these works, as the water level went below the bottom of the pipe lines, the worker inside the pit was exposed to trapped toxic gases in the pipe lines, the worker inside the pit was exposed to trapped toxic gases present in the pipe line and fell unconscious and the another workmen attempted to rescue him by entering into the pit, also exposed to the toxic gases. In these process in total 6 workers were exposed to inhalation of toxic gas among them three succumbed to injuries and other three recovered after medical treatment.

The investigation conducted revealed that the main causes for the said accident are due to non compliance to the safe procedures to be followed in attending to clearning of sludge pit wherein the possibility of toxic gases mainly the presence of Carbon Monoxide, employment of contract workmen for such works who are not aware of the possible hazards and non providing and insisting to use the required personal protective equipment.

Recommendations made to eliminate the procedure of removal of sludge from the pit manually ,and to mechanize the system, elimination of contract Labour on such works, compulsory use of protective equipment, adoption of safe work system and to improve the emergency handling procedure in the factory.

Department had initiated legal action for the discrepancies lead to this accident, against the management.

For more details if required the department may be contacted.

M/S.Superfine Aromatics company limited is a chemical factory located at Nanjangud, in Mysore District. This factory is engaged in manufacturing of perfumery chemicals using hazardous chemicals viz.,toluene, Alpha pinene, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, ethane di sulphonic acid, soda ash etc.,

On 17.8.2001 at around 9.45 am there was an explosion in Alpha Campholenine Aldehyde plant. The HDPE drum containing an intermediate of alpha penine which was decanted from a reactor exploded instantaneously. As a result, two employees got injured by the splinters due to the blast, the injuries were of minor in nature. However the severity of the blast was of high intensity which caused flash fire and damaged the complete structure of ACA plant including the adjacent buildings.

Investigations conducted by the department revealed that the main causes for the said blast in subject is presumably due to the presence of foreign oxidising material in the HDPE barrel into which highly explosive peracetic acid was decanted.

Recommendations made to prevent such accident includes strict compliance of safety rules in handling, storing, and usage of hazardous and explosive chemicals as envisaged in the respective Material Safety Data Sheets and establishment of proper work procedures in handling such chemicals.

There was a chemical accident in the Urea Plant at M/s. Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited, Panambur, Mangalore on 9.2.2000. An 8" dia high pressure pipe line housing a weldolet was connected between autoclave (urea reactor) of 108MT capacity and the stripper to carry ammonium carbamate (Urea Solution). The pressure of pipe line was of the order of 141kg/cm2 and the temperature of 180 C. The Solution had contained 29% of ammonia, 18% carbon di oxide and 32% of urea. The parameters such as temperature and pressure are required to be maintained at the same level throughout the pipe line for effective transfer urea solution. For this purpose pressure gauges and thermocouples were introduced at regular intervals and the readings were recorded.

On 9^th February 2000, a substantial quantity of ammonium carbamate solution leakage was noticed at the weldolet joint of the pipeline. A maintenance manager along with two operators, an engineer and two contract workmen were trying to plug the leakage by providing a proper clamping. In the process, the weldolet joint gave way resulting in sudden release of pressurized hot ammonium carbamate solution. As a result, the personnel on the job were exposed to hot solution and toxic gas. Consequent to which, 8 persons were affected amongst them 2 died on the spot and the other two at the hospital amounting to death of 4 persons including the maintenance manager and an engineer.

Investigation conducted by the department under the guidance of an expert committee revealed that the weldolet used in the high pressure pipe line had high carbon content which is not suggested for that kind of a process, maintenance/repair works was undertaken on line even after noticing the hazardous solution which amounts of non implementation of shutting down procedures envisaged in the on site emergency plan. Further the high-pressure pipeline was not subjected to hydrostatic test, ultrasonic tests and examinations as required under relevant provisions of law for its soundness. The personnel who were on the job were not wearing any personal protective equipment in addition to non-adherence to work to permit system.

The expert committee constituted to investigate the incident went into the details of the causes and had made the following recommendations to avert any incident in future.

1. The pipe line, connected equipment and the accessories must be subjected to hydrostatic test as required under the relevant provision of law;
2. Weldolet must be subjected to 100% examination to detect corrosion and the soundness;
3. Maintenance/repair works shall not be undertaken on line, it shall be done only as per standard maintenance procedure drawn up before hand;
4. Permit to work system shall be strictly adhered to along with suitable personal protective equipment;
5. The on site emergency plan rehearsals shall be put to rigorous tests and practiced by updating the weaknesses noticed from time to time;
6. The personnel including the contract workmen shall be put to rigorous training in handling chemical emergencies particularly to bring a change in their attitudinal behaviour of over confidence;

4.Chemical Accident – due to release of toxic gas in bulk drug manufacturing unit resulting in death of four persons.

There was a chemical accident on 16.12.1997 at M/s. Max India Limited, a bulk drug manufacturing unit located at Nanjangud in the District of Mysore. The accident took place on the early hours of 16^th December 1997 at Carba-Carbamazapine plant. The industry in the process of manufacture of Terfenadine an intermediate bulk drug had provided a hypochloride scrubber system for the purpose of scrubbing the fugitive emissions in its various processes which included an highly toxic gas like hydrogen sulphide. The scrubber provided was a column type made out FRP having a capacity of 4.5KL. The scrubbing media was caustic lye.

The activity of the carba plant was stopped for some reasons for about 3 weeks prior to the incident. On 16^th December 1997, the management had taken a decision to restart the plant and put the scrubber back into use. Before such action as an abundant precautionary measure, the management wanted to ascertain the proper working of the scrubber system including the media. In the process, it was noticed that the vent or the drain valve of the scrubber system had choked due to calcification of caustic lye. To rectify this the maintenance work was undertaken. The work was continued late in the evening on the fateful day, at around 23.30hours, in removing the choke, the workers have hammered the choked valve using wooden and steel rods. As a result the valve diaphragm broke open releasing the accumulated solution in which the dissolved Hydrogen Sulphide and other toxic gases were present. Consequent to which, four persons got exposed. The incident resulted in death of four persons and serious injury to seven others.

The detailed investigation was conducted by the department and also an expert committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka under the guise of the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment. The findings of the investigation are, the failure of implementation of work to permit system in its letter and spirit, failure to train all its employees in the method of work, evacuation and rescue procedure, non availability of adequate rescue arrangements, usage of right types of personal protective equipment and non employment of strict supervision.