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Two engineers lost their lives following a suspected gas leak on Monday morning at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam unit in Visakhapatnam (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant). The two were working for SMS Siemag India Ltd, engaged on a contract job in the plant.
According to workers at the facility and union leaders, the two — Rajneesh Singh and Anush Bhaskar — were working in the steel melt shop (SMS) when the accident occurred. First, Singh (35) went into the container lab in the morning and he immediately collapsed. He died on the spot. Then, Bhaskar (24) went in and fainted. He was taken to the hospital in the steel plant and died there. Workers said they may have inhaled some poisonous gas, probably carbon monoxide, in the lab. A few gas cylinders were stored in the lab, it is learnt.
Confirming the incident, but not the gas leak, RINL said the two engineers were found unconscious in the lab, while carrying out an inspection job handled by Siemag in the expansion area.
“The unit where the incident occurred is under the control of SMS Siemag India and it is yet to be handed over to the steel plant,” the company said.
It added all the gas lines of the network of the unit were in good working condition and were in a closed state when the incident took place. No openings were found in the main gas distribution lines. The reasons for the incident are being looked into by the company management.
Safety lapse However, union leaders and also the MLA of Gajuwaka, P Srinivasa Rao, said it seemed to be a case of safety lapse and the steel plant management should take stringent steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents. “There was a major accident in the same steel melt shop in June 2012 when 19 employees lost their lives. We were told then that safety would be strengthened at the plant, but no steps seem to have been taken. An inquiry should be conducted and those responsible should be punished and besides both the steel plant and Seimag should offer suitable compensation to the next of kin,” Rao said. D Adinarayana and NV Rama Rao, leaders of the recognised union at the plant, said the plant management should identify safety lapses and take suitable preventive measures.
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