Visakhapatnam: The 2012 accident at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), which claimed 19 lives, had highlighted serious concerns over safety standards at the plant, according to a report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) after the incident.
Following Monday’s accident, in which eight persons were killed, trade union leaders alleged that safety standards at the plant had not improved despite the raising of such concerns more than a decade ago.
In its Green Rating Project assessment of the Indian steel sector after the 2012 accident, the CSE drew attention to the safety record of the VSP. Under the category of ‘safety and environment management systems’, the plant received a single-leaf rating, representing a score of 15 to 24.9 per cent, and ranked last among 13 participating steel plants.
The Green Rating Project study found that 144 people had died between 2007 and 2010 in 17 of the 21 steel plants covered by the survey. The report identified deficiencies in occupational safety management systems as a major concern across the sector.
Chandra Bhushan, then deputy director general of the CSE and head of its industry and pollution programme, had described the 2012 accident as symptomatic of the broader safety and health challenges facing the Indian steel industry.
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) has stated in recent years that it uses modern technology and places emphasis on safety with the objective of achieving zero accidents. However, trade union leaders said Monday’s accident has raised fresh questions over operational safety management at the plant.
The CSE study noted that more than 50 people died annually in major steel plants across the country during the three-year period under review and observed that India’s steel industry had one of the poorest safety records globally.
The report recommended the creation of a specialised regulatory body to supervise, enforce and improve safety standards in the steel sector. It also called for strengthening the provisions of the Factories Act, 1948, under which industrial safety in the sector is currently regulated.
Bhushan had also observed that the institutional mechanisms and legal framework available at the time were inadequate to effectively oversee safety and occupational health standards in the steel industry.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
