1. Before siting any factory, the clearance from the Department of Forest, Ecology, and Environment is essential;
2. Relevant information in detail about the process, chemicals used, hazards identified and also measures to overcome hazards shall be informed to the authorities, workers and the general public;
3. Safety and health policy shall be evolved prior to the commencement of the activities;
4. On site emergency plan/disaster management plan shall be prepared and submitted for approval.
5. Safety manual shall be prepared and issued to all the workmen;
6. Subject all the workmen for pre employment and periodical medical examination and maintain relevant records;
7. Ensure that the toxic chemicals and substances used in the factory are within the permissible threshold limits at the work environment;
8. Safety committee comprising of workers representatives and the management shall be constituted and the same should function as per rules;
9. Provisions envisaged under the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard (Karnataka) Rules, 1994 shall be complied with;

10. Mock rehearsals in respect of handling the emergencies shall be conducted periodically;

11. Workers shall be trained and educated about the hazards, use of personal protective equipment, safety and health awareness and emergency preparedness;
12. Assist the district crisis group in evolving off site emergency plan, if the unit is coming under the MAH category;
13. Maintain occupational health Centre with all the facilities and required antidotes.
14. The factory should extend co-ordination and mutual aid to the neighboring factories in case of exigencies.

Department is shouldering the responsibility of enforcing relevant provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and rules made there under in the registered factories with an objective of preventing damages to the environment by the industrial activities. The Chief Inspector of Factories is one of the active members in the state level environmental clearance committee in sitting the new industries particularly industries involving hazardous processes.

As envisaged under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Factories Act, 1948, every industry involved in hazardous process is required to draw up an on-site emergency plan detailing how emergencies are tackled in respective industries. Such plans are required to be drawn up and shall be submitted to the Chief Inspector of Factories, for approval. Department has come out with a guidelines to the management in preparing such plans which will certainly help them in drafting their on site emergency plans. A committee headed by the Joint Chief Inspector of Factories incharge of Central Safety Monitoring Cell assisted by Two Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories has been constituted to review the on site emergency plans received from the management of factories before approval by the Chief Inspector of Factories. So far the department has approved about 650 such on site emergency plans.

Chemical Accident (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996 framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 envisaged constitution of Crisis Groups at the Central, State and Local levels to deal with emergencies arising out of major chemical accidents from Major Accident Hazard units in addition to provide adequate information’s, guidelines etc., in averting possible chemical accidents and also to have mock rehearsals in tackling the emergencies so that incase of real emergencies the same can be tackled effectively to meet the objectives.

In pursuant to the said rules, the Government of Karnataka has constituted a committee at the State Level with the Chief Secretary to the Government as the chairperson and the Principal Secretary to Government, Labour Department as the member secretary. The other members of the committee includes, Secretary Home and Transport, Health, Agriculture, Education, PWD, Public Health Engineering, Director Fire Force, Director Information and Publicity, Director General of Police, Chairman Pollution Control Boards and five experts in the field of Occupational Health and Safety. This crisis group is required to perform the functions as envisaged under the said rules by meeting periodically and review the functions of the District Crisis Groups and take stock of the Chemical Accident occurred in the state for onward transmission of a comprehensive report to the Central Crisis Group.

The State Crisis Group has already convened four such meetings and reviewed all the chemical accidents that occurred in the state in recent days including the accident occurred at M/s. Max Indian Limited, Nanjangud, M/s. MCF Limited, Mangalore, M/s. JVS Limited, Bellary.

In the State of Karnataka 59 Major Accident Hazard Units located at 16 districts have been identified. For all these 16 districts as per the said rules, District Crisis Groups have been constituted with the respective Deputy Commissioner of the district as the chairman and the representative of the Department of Factories and Boilers as the member Secretary. These groups also consists of district level officers from the departments viz., police, fire force, pollution control board, agriculture, health, education, transport, PWD and experts in the field of health and safety. The main function of the District Crisis Group is to oversee the safety systems in the MAH units located in the districts including the preparedness procedure in tackling the possible emergencies arising out of chemical accidents in addition to assisting the Deputy Commissioner in preparing a comprehensive off site emergency plan for the district obtaining informations from the MAH units.

All the District Crisis Groups required to meet the periodical to perform functions envisaged under the said rules and report to the State Crisis Group. Accordingly periodical meetings are being held at the districts. The draft off site emergency plans in respect of all the districts wherein MAH units are located have been prepared and same are before the State Crisis Group for review and finalisation.

EMERGENCY MOCK REHERSELS AND HAZAD AWARENESS PROGRAMMEES

Department actively participates and oversees the mock rehearsals of emergency preparedness conducted in major hazard units. It also coordinates in conducting National safety day on 4 March and Chemical Disaster Prevention Day on 3^rd December of every year in addition to holding seminars to create awareness about the hazards arising out chemical accidents from MAH units.

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION OF ON SITE EMERGENCY PLANS

• Introduction
• Profile of the Company – (Preferably an ariel view or a prominent photograph)
• Safety, Health & Environmental Policy.
• Brief manufacturing activity (with flow charts)
• Working pattern

Working hours

Weekly holiday. Declared general holidays

• Geographical Location (furnish with a colour map)
• Demography details.
• Meteorological Data with wind details and directions.
• Wind details & direction.
• Chemical data

1. Names of chemicals - commercial / technical name / UN

number, CAS no. Photo 15,14,13

2. Storage quantity.

3. Monthly consumption

4. Method of storage - above / below the ground level.

Tank farm / Bullets / Spheres / Mounded, etc.

5. Material Safety Data Sheet ( in the form of annexure.

• Identification of hazards in each department / section with hazard area map and
• affecting population.
• Identification of emergency in each hazard activity through risk analysis.
• Severity / severity mapping (zoning diagram).
• Mitigation measures required ( in the form of annexure).
• Mitigation measures possessed / proposed by the industries
• Emergency Shutting down procedure
• Identification of mutual aid partners.
• Identification of resource suppliers ( both public and private )
• Emergency Transport facility.
• Control Room.

  Communication facilities (internal & external agencies)

  Telephone numbers of all the stake holders.

  (i). Deputy Commissioner

  (ii). Superintendent of / Local Police

  (iii). Police.

  (iv). Fire Services

  (v). Hospitals.

  (vi). Occupier / Manager.

  (vii). Directorate of Factories & Boilers.

  (viii). Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.

  (ix). Key personnel of the industry.

  (x). Mutual aid partners.

  • Alert action plan during working / non working hours.
  • Emergency Organisation chart.

  ON SITE EMERGENCY PLANNNING.

  (i). Establish line of control - responsibility & alternative line of control

  (ii). Constitution of teams.

  a. Rescue team.

  b. Combat team.

  c. Medical team.

  d. Auxiliary team.

  (iii). Define Roles and Responsibilities in brief.

  (iv) Notification of Emergency.

  (v) Declaration of Emergency.

  (vi) Evacuation of Personnel.

  (vii) Accounting of Personnel.

  (viii) Controlling of Emergency.

  (ix) Arrangements for Medical Treatment.

  (x) Information to the relatives of the injured.

  (xi) Information to the Government Authorities.

  (xii) Law and order.

  (xiii) All clear signal.

Annexure

1. Site plan with all the departments and emergency facilities, fire hydrant lines and fire fighting equipments, internal roads, escape routes, entry and exits gates and safe assembly points.
2. MSDS of all the chemicals (raw materials, intermediates and final products).
3. If major hazard industry severity map with lethal zones, affecting area and population.
4. Emergency hand – outs if major hazard industry.

 

Note : 1. For minor and small hazardous industries which is not applicable may be ignored.

2. This document shall be prepared

•  In brief, handy and long last.

•  Easily referable during emergency

User friendly keeping the target group like junior level workers and non – technical public authorities