Four contractual workers of the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh district died today after being trapped inside a tank. Sources said the four workers were cleaning the propylene sphere tank in the factory around 9.45 this morning when the incident took place. The four were found unconscious, probably because of lack of oxygen in the tank, they added. The workers were immediately rushed to a private nursing home for treatment where they died. All the four were workers of the Indian Oil Tanking Ltd, who have been engaged by the BCPL authority to install the tank. The workers, who were from the IOTL, died because of lack of oxygen while cleaning the propylene sphere tank, said Dibrugarh superintendent of police Rana Bhuyan. Sources said a minimum oxygen level of 19.5 per cent is considered safe for entry into a confined space. In this case, the oxygen level may have been less than the required level. They were trapped inside the tank for almost an hour. Some employees heard them screaming inside. Immediately, fire and safety workers rushed there and rescued them. They were shifted to a private nursing home in Dibrugarh where they were declared dead, P.K. Mati, general manager (human resources), BCPL ruled out gas leakage. The tanks have not yet been commissioned. Hence, there is no question of gas leakage in the tanks, Mati said. The incident sparked protests and other workers refuse to carry on working. The agitated workers set fire to the IOTL office after the incident and police had to resort to a lathicharge to disperse the mob, said Hemanta Das, additional deputy commissioner of Dibrugarh. Chief operating officer and managing director of BCPL, Prabhu Narayan Prasad, said although a private company recruited the workers, the BCPL on humanitarian grounds would distribute Rs 1 lakh each as ex gratia to the kin of the deceased. Prasad alleged there was negligence on the part of IOTL which led to the incident. BCPL is not directly responsible. There have been lapses on the part of IOTL. The IOTL administrative head has been summoned and he will be arriving tomorrow from Mumbai. We are inquiring into the matter thoroughly and strict action will be taken. We will ensure the IOTL pays adequate compensation to the families of the deceased workers. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has asked Dibrugarh deputy commissioner M.S. Manivanan to conduct an inquiry into the incident. telegraphindia/1141221/jsp/frontpage/story_4549.jsp Keep Safe
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 08:28:21 +0000
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