ACCIDENT

Industrial Accidents:
Types and Causes of Accidents :
The ever increasing mechanisation, electrification, chemicalisation and
sophistication have made industrial jobs more and more complex and
intricate. This has led to increased dangers to human life in industries through
accidents and injuries. In fact, the same underlines the need for and
importance of industrial safety. Let us first understand what industrial
accident actually means.

Industrial Accident:
An accident (industrial) is a sudden and unexpected occurrence in the
industry which interrupts the orderly progress of the work. According to the
Factories Act, 1948: It is an occurrence in an industrial establishment
causing bodily injury to a person who makes him unfit to resume his duties in
the next 48 hours.

In other words, accident is an unexpected event in the course of employment

which is neither anticipated nor designed to occur. Thus, an accident is an
unplanned and uncontrolled event in which an action or reaction of an object,
a substance, a person, or a radiation results in personal injury. It is important
to note that self-inflicted injuries cannot be regarded as accidents.

An industrial injury is defined as a personal injury to an employee which has

been caused by an accident or an occupational disease and which arises out of
or in the course of employment and which could entitle such employee to
compensation under Workers Compensation Act, 1923.

Types of Accidents:
Accidents may be of different types depending upon the severity, durability
and degree of the injury. An accident causing death or permanent or

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prolonged disability to the injured employee is called major accident. A cut
that does not render the employee disabled is termed as minor accident.
When an employee gets injury with external signs of it, it is external injury.

Injury without showing external signs such as a fractured bone is called an

internal one. When an injury renders an injured employee disabled for a short
period, say, a day or a week, it is a temporary accident. On the contrary,
making injured employee disabled for ever is called permanent accident.
Disability caused by accident may be partial or total, fatal or non-fatal.

No accident occurs automatically. Instead, certain factors cause accidents. It

has been noticed that an accident does not have a single cause but a
multiplicity of causes, which are often closely related. The same is discussed
subsequently.

Causes of Accidents:

The industrial safety experts have classified the various causes of

accidents into three broad categories:
1. Unsafe Conditions
2. Unsafe Acts
3. Other Causes?

1. Unsafe Conditions (work-related):

Unsafe working conditions are the biggest cause of acci-dents. These are
associated with detective plants, tools, equipments, machines, and materials.
Such causes are known as technical causes. They arise when there are
improper guarded equipments, defective equipments, faulty layout and
location of plant, inadequate lighting arrangements and ventilation, unsafe
storage, inadequate safety devices, etc.

Besides, the psychological reasons such as working over time, monotony,

fatigue, tiredness, frustration and anxiety are also some other causes that
cause accidents. Safety experts identify that there are some high danger zones
in an industry. These are, for example, hand lift trucks, wheel-barrows, gears
and pulleys, saws and hand rails, chisels and screw drivers, electric drop
lights, etc., where about one-third of industrial accidents occur.

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2. Unsafe Acts:
Industrial accidents occur due to certain acts on the part of workers. These
acts may be the result of lack of knowledge or skill on the part of the worker,
certain bodily defects and wrong attitude.

Examples of these acts are:

(a) Operating without authority.
(b) Failure to use safe attire or personal protective equipments,
(c) Careless throwing of material at the work place.
(d) Working at unsafe speed, i.e., too fast or too low.
(e) Using unsafe equipment, or using equipments unsafely.
(f) Removing safety devices.
(g) Taking unsafe position under suspended loads.
(h) Distracting, teasing, abusing, quarrelling, day-dreaming, horseplay
(i) Ones own accident prone personality and behaviour.

3. Other Causes:
These causes arise out of unsafe situational and climatic conditions and
variations. These may include excessive noise, very high temperature, humid
conditions, bad working conditions, unhealthy environment, slippery floors,
excessive glare, dust and fume, arrogant behaviour of domineering
supervisors, etc. Of late, industrial accidents have become common
happening in our country.

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 Accident during Process :

In new RO Plant installation, Welding work to MS line that time flare

observed from the gas pipe connected to the gas cylinder with welding
spark.

The old removal tank of plant was taken for modification (nozzle
preparation). During gas cutting it caught fire because of tank not clean
properly.

In glass assembly Potassium Tertiary Butoxide solution preparation

was going on. During addition of PTB in 22 lts IPA at 5-7 degree
centigrade controlled rate addition. As PTB is water incompatible
chemical and falls in flammable dust category it was spilled on ice
pieces present in chilling line area and when PTB came in contact with
water Suddenly Flash Fire occurred.

Shift Officer was on plant round and when he was on 2nd floor at that
time he observed that from scrubber area one HDPE drum was
damaged and POCl3 + Toluene spillage hence heavy fumes and vapor
of POCl3 generating, it seems due to generation of high pressure inside
drum may be cause of damage the drum. He informed to HOD and
Executive and then to HOD of EHS. Immediately HOD activated his
team for emergency. Officer reached at site with SCBA and tilted the
leaking drum to avoid more spillage from drum. Mr. Rakesh had
opened ammonia cylinder for ammonium chloride vapour generation.
Mr. Partik , Mr. Gohil , Mr. Solanki (Security Officer), Mr. Rakesh ,
Mr. Patil along with all Plant 8 person and emergency team controlled
the incident by neutralized the spilled material with sodium carbonate
by wearing SCBA. After 02 hrs all spill liquid and vapors are
neutralized. And affected person are send to Dr.A.K.Patel for medical
check up. Remaining material of drum was sucked by vacuum and
charged into the near by reactor and dropped down in drum.

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

In SSR of plant on dated 08/03/2012 at 17.00 hrs Olmisartan Batch

charging work was performing by Shift-Officer. As per SOP and
BPCR first they charge 350 lit THF (Tetra hydro Furan) in SSR at
25C through vacuum.

Then next step is to be charge Olmisartan stage-A 90 kg with equal lot

of 18 kg. Olmisartan Stage A was packed in HDPE bag with equal lot
of 18 kg. 1st lot of 18 kg of Olmisartan-Stage-A was charge by
workman. then 2nd Lot was charged similar way but after charging of
2nd lot Helper found that some material was still stickled on inner side
of HDPE Bag. for complete charging he was shaken the bag with
continuous jurk at that time in vessel 350 lit THF was present at RT
and due to Low BP of THF (-14C) cause sufficient vapor cloud was
present in side of Reactor.

As the workman shaken the bag with jurk cause static charge is
generated and already present of Vapors cloud of THF inside of reactor
cause a flash of fire is occurred. Immediately Shift-officer
Extinguished the fire by using CO2-22.5lit and DCP-10 kg fire
Extinguisher.

ROOT CAUSE OF FIRTE:

SSR is installed at 2nd floor of plant its capacity is 1000 lit. N2 line is
directly connected in it for blanketing. Reactor is earthed. For
olmisarten Stage-B 350 lit THF are used as a solvent.

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 Mr. Amit who is Jr. Officer at Plant was carried out unloading
activity (Unloading of Trospium Chloride) with casual worker in his
presence from VTD . During this period he exposed from Trospium
chloride. With immediate exposure of this material he felt giddiness
and bitter taste in mouth and lips. Mr. Sharma (Officer of same
module) observes this incident and immediately took him to OHC.

Mr. Nikunj Ramani who is Jr. Officer at Plant 01. During work he
was going to meet with Mr. Suresh Sharma (Incharge of plant) on CF-
108. When he was go down step with out observed proper path, hence
get injury on head with bottom nipple of Reactor GLR 144.
Immediate took him to OHC.

In VTD Lercanidipine Stage-A, drying operation was going on .As

per BPCR sample for LOD was due at 15:00hrs. For this, vacuum
releasing started at 15:00 hrs through Nitrogen from back side nozzle
(Service area). During vacuum releasing and as per discussion with
operating person, suddenly pressure developed in VTD and it is
pressurize and blast.

Neck and Nose skin infection during Caustic Charging in SSR

(uncovered portion of the body was affeted due to alkaline water
vapours as solution is made from caustic flakes in open vessel without
cooling.)

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 During solution preparation Mr. Tejas bare left hand finger & gets in
contact with glecial acetic acid and irritation felt by him. Leg injury
during his movement at plant 5 due to tripping his leg palm in gutter
chamber he slipped and leg inury occurred.

The person was going to drink the water and during picking of fallen
glas on land his head strucked into table edge and head injury
occurred.

During line opening by fitter in plant first floor, during taking out the
line remaining holdup MDC splashed on his shoulder - back side.

DMS was charged by vacuum to glass flask (100 litre capacity). Casual
worker observed that material is leaking from the botoom nozzle of the
glass valve so while fixing the clamp DMS spilled on the handgloves
and spread on uncoverd part of the hand (Fore arm).

Splashing of tosyl chloride in eyes during solution preparation by other

person and chemical splashed in his eyes.

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 While conducted MDC layer separation, hose pipe changed in another
drum that time material hold up and spilled on both leg.

During drum lead opening material contaminated handgloves applied

on eyebro when slight itching felt by casual.

PRD persons are keeping contaminated glasswares at one dedicated

place, however there was no lable in that area for the cleaning status of
the glasswares.

At Mix solvent drum storage area near plant- 10 during drums shifting
in Tempo by Mr. Suresh and another casual that time his leg slipped
and got injury on his nose with sharp part of drum.

Mr. Suresh is suffered with injury on nose after getting First Aid
treatment from OHC and shifted him to Dr. A.K. Patel's hospital.

At Plant ground floor area near CF after operation (Perindopril Stage-

D) of Centrifuge Mr. Radhesyam went to check the CF status and CF
lid was fall down on right hand finger and got minor injury in finger.
Mr. Radheshyam is suffered with cut Injury on a finger of right hand,
after getting first Aid treatment from our Inhouse OHC, he is kept
under observation for some time in OHC itself. After found he is o.k.
Mr. Radheshyam is allowed to go home at Time 23:00 Hr. (During
shift End).

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 During the mutimilling of Colistimethate Sodium Stage- Final, at the
time of increasing nitrogen pressure at manifold suddenly nitrogen
filter got burst.
Route Cause:
1. Nitrogen line leading to module 2 was not isolated where the filter was
kept.
2. To increase the pressure for module 1 nitrogen regulator was operated
accordingly.
3. Since nitrogen regulators pressure gauges were not working, it was not
possible to find out actual pressure.
4. Since the pressure was increased drastically, it had a flow for module 2
which was not isolated the filter got burst.
Preliminary it is an operational mistake and non functioning of pressure
gauges.

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 Bhopal disaster

The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas
leak incident in India, considered the world's worst industrial disaster.

It occurred on the night of 23 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India

Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Over 500,000
people were exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals.
The toxic substance made its way in and around the shanty towns located near
the plant.

Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259.
The government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related
to the gas release. A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused
558,125 injuries including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and
approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.

Others estimates 8,000 died within two weeks and another 8,000 or more
have since died from gas-related diseases. The cause of the disaster remains
under debate. The Indian government and local activists argue slack
management and deferred maintenance created a situation where routine pipe
maintenance caused a backflow of water into a MIC tank triggering the
disaster. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) contends water entered the tank
through an act of sabotage.

The owner of the factory, UCIL, was majority owned by UCC, with Indian
Government-controlled banks and the Indian public holding a 49.1 percent
stake. In 1989, UCC paid $470m ($907m in 2014 dollars) to settle litigation
stemming from the disaster. In 1994, UCC sold its stake in UCIL to Evereday
Industries India Limited (EIIL).

which subsequently merged with McLeod Russel (India) Ltd. Eveready

Industries India, Limited, ended clean-up on the site in 1998, when it
terminated its 99-year lease and turned over control of the site to the state
government of Madhya Pradesh.

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Dow Chemical Company purchased UCC in 2001, seventeen years after the
disaster. Civil and criminal cases were filed in the District Court of Bhopal,
India, involving UCC and Warren Anderson, UCC CEO at the time of the
disaster. In June 2010, seven ex-employees, including the former UCIL.

chairman, were convicted in Bhopal of causing death by negligence and

sentenced to two years imprisonment and a fine of about $2,000 each, the
maximum punishment allowed by Indian law.

An eighth former employee was also convicted, but died before the
judgement was passed. Anderson also passed away at a nursing home in
Vero Beach, Florida on September 29, 2014.

Fire accident at GNFC's Ammonia Plant

Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers Company Ltd (GNFC) has announced

that, on February 10, 2010 at 1:48 Hrs., (early morning), there was an
explosion followed by Fire in Waste Heat Boiler (E-703) of Ammonia
Synthesis Unit in Ammonia Plant, resulting into disruption of Ammonia
production. Fire Engines were immediately rushed to site and fire was

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extinguished. Normal production of Ammonia could not be sustained on
account of fire. To take remedial actions, operation of Ammonia Synthesis
Unit has been stopped. Repair of Waste Heat Boiler (E-703) is being taken-
up. Disruption in operation of Ammonia Synthesis Unit has however, not
affected the operations of other major plants such as Methanol, Formic Acid,
Acetic Acid, WNA / CNA / ANP / CAN, Aniline and TDI plants of the
Company and presently, they continue to operate smoothly. There has beenno
incident of human injury.

Meghmani Organics:
Fatal accident at agrochemical Ankleshwar plant :

Meghmani Organics: Fatal accident at agrochemical Ankleshwar plant

Meghmani Organics has informed that a fatal accident has taken place on
March 02, 2013, at its Agrochemical Manufacturing Division situated at Plot
No. 5007/B, GIDC Industrial Estate Ankleshwar, Ankleshwar Gujarat, (India)
and regret the casualty of three (3) workers.The Company is investigating the
Cause of accident.

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 Fatal Accident at Waste Paper Factory :

Synopsis of Accident:

Workplace Premise: Factory repackaging waste paper

Forklift: 3 ton (load capacity)
Work Activity: Deceased was operating the forklift on a metal ramp to load
up compressed bales (blocks) of waste -paper into a container .
Nature of Accident: Forklift overturned and crushed worker.

The forklift was loading blocks of compressed recycled papers ("paper

bales") into a 40 ft long container stationed at the end of the ramp. The ramp
was propped up bypaper blocks. Another forklift was used to move the paper
blocks.

While the deceased was in the process of loading a paper block, the
forklift suddenly reversed out from the side of the ramp and toppled
off the ramp. The deceased was pinned onto the ground by the
forklift and was killed.

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 Fatal Accident at Warehouse Premise :

Synopsis of Accident:

Workplace Premise: Warehouse premise in a

distribution park
Forklift: 3 ton (load capacity)
Work Activity: Deceased was taking stock of goods to be transported out of
the warehouse. He squeezed through the gap between two racks and was
crushed
when a forklift pushed the racks closer to make space for more racks.
Nature of Accident: Crushed between objects

The deceased worker was involved in tallying stock stored on metal racks
within yellow boxes.
Yellow box
The deceased worker was conducting checks in between two metal racks
just prior to the accident. To free up space for more cargo, a forklift operator
used his forklift to push
the adjacent metal racks. The deceased worker was trapped in between the
metal racks. Deceased worker was found dead an hour later.

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 Fatal Accident at Shipyard :

Synopsis of Accident:
Workplace Premise: Vehicle access road in shipyard.
Forklift: 7 ton (load capacity)
Activity: Deceased was sleeping near vehicle access road next to steel
fabrication block. The road is part of a T-junction. At around 11.55 pm, a 7-
ton forklift carrying a concrete block turned left at the T-junction into the
road and ran over the deceased.
Nature of Accident: Ran over by forklift

At near midnight, the deceased and 4 co-workers were sleeping at an open

space near fabrication block after they had taken their supper. The 4 co-
workers were sleeping near steel fabricated block. However, the deceased
slept at an open path further away from the rest.

The 7 ton forklift carrying a concrete block (measuring 1.5m X 1m X 1.5m

and weighing about 5.4 ton) turned into that area and ran over the deceased
worker (who was lying on the path of the forklift). The deceased worker
subsequently succumbed to his injuries in Alexandra hospital.

Learing Point :
1. Proper management of forklift and human traffic in workplace, e.g.
Enforcement of designated resting area for workers
2. Importance of safety training and briefings to increase safety
awareness and manage workers behaviour.
3. Proper lighting for forklift operations at night.
4. Issue of fatigue -adequate hours of rest for workers

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 Fatal Accident at Construction Site :
Synopsis of Accident:
Workplace Premise: Circular vehicle ramp of a light industrial building under
construction.
Forklift: 3 ton (load capacity)
Work Activity: A worker (the deceased) was driving the forklift down a
circular vehicle ramp from the 4th level towards the 3 rd level. The forklift
suddenly swerved and overturned at the 3rd level. The deceased was pinned
by the forklift and he died on the spot. There was no load on the forklift.
Nature of Accident: Forklift overturned and crushed worker Forklift operator
had not undergone the mandatory Forklift Driver's Training Course.

The forklift was moving down the circular vehicle ramp when it suddenly
overturned and pinned down the deceased.

Learning Point :

1. Control and management of sub-contractors: Ensuring forklift operators are

trained and competent. (Mandatory Forklift Driver's Training Course).
2. Sufficient trained forklift operators to number of forklifts.
3. Importance of effective implementation of maintenance regime for the
forklifts in the workplace.

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 Flixborough Disaster

On 1st June 1974 the Nypro (UK) site at Flixborough was severely damaged
by a large explosion. Twenty-eight workers were killed and a further 36
suffered injuries. Offsite consequences resulted in fifty-three reported
injuries. Property in the surrounding area was damaged to a varying degree.

A 20 inch bypass system ruptured, which may have been caused by a fire on a
nearby 8 inch pipe. This resulted in the escape of a large quantity of
cyclohexane. The cyclohexane formed a flammable mixture and subsequently
found a source of ignition. At about 16:53 hours there was a massive vapour
cloud explosion, which caused extensive damage and started numerous fires
on the site.

Eighteen fatalities occurred in the control room as a result of the windows

shattering and the collapse of the roof. No one escaped from the control room.
The fires burned for several days and after ten days those that still raged were
hampering the rescue work.

A Nypro factory was located at Flixborough where large quantities of

cyclohexane were used to produce nylon. Oxidisation of the cyclohexane
produced a mixture of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol The oxidisation took
place in a series of six reactors, the reactors being joined by short 28 inch
pipes with bellows. Each pass through the convertors only converts about 6%
of the cyclohexane, and a large amount of recovery and recycling takes place.

When reactor five developed a crack, a temporary 20 inch bypass pipe was
used to connect reactors four and six and remove reactor five from the chain
to allow repairs to take place.

A work engineer was yet to be replaced at the time that the modification was
performed, even though the designers of the piping had considerable

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experience. The design of the piping was done in chalk on the workshop floor
by personnel unaware of the implications of the requirements on the piping to
withstand 150C and 10 bar. The plant was online again in a few days.
The bypass pipe was fixed at either end to the bellows, but the scaffolding
was used to support the bypass pipe proved to be inadequate, and the pipe
was free to squirm when the pressure increased.
On 1st June 1974 the pipe ruptured and allowed 40 tons of cyclohexane to be
released in approximately one minute. With cyclohexane having properties
somewhat similar to petrol, explosions occurred and an inferno took hold for
24 hours.
Had the explosion occurred on a weekday, more people may have been killed,
including many of the 550 who worked there.
29 people died and over 100 were injured. The plant was destroyed, and 100
nearby homes were destroyed or badly damaged.
Although most resources relating to this incident blame the modification,
some evidence to the contrary is raised in "Great Disasters" edited by John
Canning.

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 Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited

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 pipeline 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.

On 9th 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. 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.

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The expert committee investigated made the following recommendations to
prevent any incident in future.
The pipeline, connected equipment and the accessories must be subjected to
hydrostatic test as required under the relevant provision of law.
Weldolet must be subjected to 100% examination to detect corrosion and the
soundness;
Maintenance/repair works shall not be undertaken on line, it shall be done
only as per standard maintenance procedure drawn up before hand;
Permit to work system shall be strictly adhered to along with suitable
personal protective equipment;
The on site emergency plan rehearsals shall be put to rigorous tests and
practiced by updating the weaknesses noticed from time to time;
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;

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 National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) at Panipat

The Panipat tragedy:

Liquid ammonia burst out at the high pressure of 23 kg per sq cm,

vaporising within seconds to form suffocating clouds of deadly gas. This
hit and choked to death eleven persons and injured ten even as their
colleagues sprung into action to diffuse the gas with water sprays.

Liquid ammonia hit workers Coughing and choking, with lungs bursting,
scrambled for fresh air.

It is a Freak accident? This was the first major incident in any of the NFL
plants. When working on the ammonia pipelines. It was admitted to down to
earth that for such work "Need to take extra precautions to ensure that
workers other than those doing the hazardous task, are not present in the
vicinity,"

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 The Chlorine Gas Leak at Jamshedpur

People of Jamshedpur were caught unaware when they were exposed to a

dense, pale green, pungent and poisonous gas, Chlorine. This gas had leaked
from an unused cylinder lying in the Tata Motors water treatment plant for
the past 10 years. By the next day, around 150 to 200 people had been
hospitalised. The affected people also included company employees and their
family members. So far no deaths have been reported. Later, in a statement,
Tata Motors claimed that the chlorine leak has been plugged and about 60 to
70 residents who reported breathing difficulty were admitted to the Tata
Motors hospital in Jamshedpur. The Chief Minister of Jharkahnd, Madhu
Koda, alleged that negligence by Tata Motors had led to the leakage of
chlorine gas.

As we know Chlorine gas has strong oxidising properties. Its toxicity irritates
the respiratory system. Severe exposure to the gas may cause pulmonary
edema within 30 to 60 minutes and die. There is no available prophylactic or
post exposure therapy for chlorine.

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 SPIC ammonia unit shut due to leakage problem :

Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) at Tuticorin has

been shut down due to a leakage in the pipeline. When the repair works
were going on, a fatal accident occurred on October 1, company sources
told Business Line.
Sources said that after the southern grid failure last month, technical
problems arose in SPIC's plant, causing a leakage in the pipeline. The plant
has been shut down since September 27.
While trying to do the repair work, Mr Thiraviyaraj, Joint Manager
(Operations) slipped and fell. The gas mask he was wearing came off and
he died of asphyxiation, it is learnt.
It is understood that it would take at least another 10 days to restart the
plant.
None of the senior officials of the company was available for comment,
and therefore, no estimate of the value of loss in production is readily
available.
Only last year, the Tuticorin plant of SPIC had been shut down between
May 1 and June 22 for a "routine turnaround maintenance", which caused a
loss of production of 1.03 lakh tonnes of urea.

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 Defence Industries :

December 6, 1917:
Halifax, Canada . The Halifax explosion. A ship loaded with about 9000
tons of high explosives destined for France caught fire as a result of a
collision in Halifax harbour, and exploded. The explosion killed about
2000 and injured about 9000.

October 4, 1918:
T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion. An ammunition
plant in Sayreville, New Jersey exploded, killing approximately 100
people, destroying 300 buildings and causing $18 million in damages.

March 1, 1924:
1924 Nixon Nitration Works disaster. A plant for processing ammonium
nitrate in Edison, New Jersey exploded, killing 24 people, injuring 100 and
destroying several buildings.

July 17, 1944:

Port Chicago Disaster. A munitions explosion that killed 320 people
occurred at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, California.

August 9, 1965:
Little Rock AFB in Searcy, Arkansas. 53 contract workers were killed
during a fire at a Titan missile silo. The cause of the fire was determined to
be a welding rod damaging a hydraulic hose allowing hydraulic vapors to
leak and spread throughout the silo, which were then ignited by an open
flame.

April 10, 1988:

Ojhri Camp. A military storage center in Rawalpindi, Pakistan exploded,
killing more than 1,300 people.

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July 11, 2011:
Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion, Cyprus. An explosion occurred
at a munitions dump; 13 people were killed, among them the captain of the
base, twin brothers who were serving there as marines, and four
firefighters.

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 Energy Industries :

October 1957:
The Windscale fire, the worst nuclear accident in Great Britain's history,
released substantial amounts of radioactive contamination into the
surrounding area at Windscale, Cumberland (now Sellafield, Cumbria).

May 1962:
The Centralia, Pennsylvania coal mine fire began, forcing the gradual
evacuation of the Centralia borough. The fire continues to burn in the
abandoned borough.

March 1967:
The Torrey Canyon supertanker was shipwrecked off the west coast of
Cornwall, England, causing an environmental disaster. This was the first
major oil spill at sea.

August, 1975:
The Banqiao Dam failed in the Henan Province of China due to
extraordinarily heavy rains and poor construction quality of the dam,
which was built during the Great Leap Forward. The flood immediately
killed over 100,000 people, and another 150,000 died of subsequent
epidemic diseases and famine, bringing the total death toll to around
250,000 and making it the worst technical disaster ever.

March 16, 1978:

The Amoco Cadiz, an VLCC owned by the company Amoco (now merged
with BP) sank near the northwest coast of France, resulting in the spilling
of 68,684,000 US gallons of crude oil (1,635,000 barrels). This is the
largest oil spill from an oil tanker in history.

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March 28, 1979:
Three Mile Island accident. Partial nuclear meltdown. Mechanical failures
in the non-nuclear secondary system, followed by a stuck-open pilot-
operated relief valve in the primary system, allowed large amounts of
reactor coolant to escape. Plant operators initially failed to recognize the
loss of coolant, resulting in a partial meltdown. The reactor was brought
under control but not before up to 481 PBq (13 million curies) of
radioactive gases were released into the atmosphere

June 3, 1979:
Ixtoc I oil spill. The Ixtoc I exploratory oil well suffered a blowout
resulting in the third-largest oil spill and the second-largest accidental spill
in history.

November 20, 1980:

A Texaco oil rig drilled into a salt mine transforming Lake Peigneur, a
freshwater lake before the accident, into a saltwater lake.

February 15, 1982:

Newfoundland, Canada. The mobile offshore oil rig Ocean Ranger was
struck by a rogue wave off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada and sank
with the loss of all 84 crew.

July 23, 1984:

Romeoville, Illinois, Union Oil refinery explosion killed 19 people.

November 19, 1984:

San Juanico Disaster. An explosion at a liquid petroleum gas tank farm
killed hundreds and injured thousands in San Juanico, Mexico.

April 26, 1986:

Chernobyl disaster. At the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Prypiat,
Ukraine a test on reactor number four went out of control, resulting in a
nuclear meltdown. The ensuing steam explosion and fire killed up to 50
people with estimates that there may be between 4,000 and several
hundred thousand additional cancer deaths over time. Fallout could be
detected as far away as Canada. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, covering

27
portions of Belarus and Ukraine surrounding Prypiat, remains
contaminated and mostly uninhabited. Prypiat itself was totally evacuated
and remains as a ghost town.

May 5, 1988:
Norco, Louisiana, Shell Oil refinery explosion. Hydrocarbon gas escaped
from a corroded pipe in a catalytic cracker and was ignited. Louisiana state
police evacuated 2,800 residents from nearby neighborhoods. Seven
workers were killed and 42 injured. The total cost arising from the Norco
blast is estimated at US$706 million.

July 6, 1988:
Piper Alpha disaster. An explosion and resulting fire on a North Sea oil
production platform killed 167 men. The total insured loss was about
US$3.4 billion. To date it is rated as the world's worst offshore oil disaster
in terms both of lives lost and impact to industry.

March 24, 1989:

Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long
Beach, California, hit Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef, dumping an
estimated minimum 10.8 million US gallons (40.9 million litres, or
250,000 barrels) of crude oil into the sea. It is considered to be one of the
most devastating human-caused environmental disasters ever to occur
100,000 to as many as 250,000 seabirds died, as well as at least 2,800 sea
otters, approximately 12 river otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles, and
22 orcas, and billions of salmon and herring eggs were destroyed. Overall
reductions in population have been seen in various ocean animals,
including stunted growth in pink salmon populations. Sea otters and ducks
also showed higher death rates in following years, partially because they
ingested prey from contaminated soil and also from ingestion of oil
residues on their hair/feathers due to grooming. The effects of the spill
continue to be felt 20 years later.

March 23, 2005:

Texas City Refinery explosion. An explosion occurred at a BP refinery in
Texas City, Texas. It is the third largest refinery in the United States and
one of the largest in the world, processing 433,000 barrels of crude oil per
day and accounting for three percent of that nation's gasoline supply. Over
100 were injured, and 15 were confirmed dead, including employees of

28
Jacobs, Fluor and BP. BP has since accepted that its employees contributed
to the accident. Several level indicators failed, leading to overfilling of a
knockout drum, and light hydrocarbons concentrated at ground level
throughout the area. A nearby running diesel truck set off the explosion.

December 11, 2005:

Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire. A series of explosions at the
Buncefield oil storage depot, described as the largest peacetime explosion
in Europe, devastated the terminal and many surrounding properties. There
were no fatalities. Total damages have been forecast as 750 million.

August 17, 2009:

SayanoShushenskaya power station accident. Seventy-five people were
killed at a hydroelectric power station when a turbine failed. The failed
turbine had been vibrating for a considerable time. Emergency doors to
stop the incoming water took a long time to close, while a self-closing lock
would have stopped the water in minutes.

February 7, 2010:
2010 Connecticut power plant explosion. A large explosion occurred at a
Kleen Energy Systems 620-megawatt, Siemens combined cycle gas- and
oil- fired power plant in Middletown, Connecticut, United States.
Preliminary reports attributed the cause of the explosion to a test of the
plant's energy systems.] The plant was still under construction and
scheduled to start supplying energy in June 2010. The number of injuries
was eventually established to be 27. Five people died in the explosion.

April 20, 2010:

Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven oil platform
workers died in an explosion and fire that resulted in a massive oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico, considered the largest offshore spill in US history.

March 2011:
Fukushima I nuclear accidents in Japan. Regarded as the largest nuclear
disaster since the Chernobyl disaster, there were no direct deaths but a few
of the plant's workers were severely injured or killed by the disaster
conditions resulting from the earthquake.

29
October 29, 2012:
Hurricane Sandy caused a ConEdison power plant to explode, causing a
blackout in most of midtown Manhattan. The blue light emitted from the
arc made places as far as Brooklyn glow. No person was killed or injured.

July 6, 2013:
Lac-Mgantic, Quebec Canada. Lac-Mgantic derailment. Forty-seven
people were killed when there was a derailment of an oil shipment train.
The oil shipment caught fire and exploded, destroying more than thirty
buildings. It was the fourth-deadliest rail accident in Canadian history.

Food industry

May 2, 1878:
The Washburn "A" Mill in Minneapolis was destroyed by a flour dust
explosion, killing 18. The mill was rebuilt with updated technology. The
explosion led to new safety standards in the milling industry.

30
January 15, 1919:
The Boston Molasses Disaster. A large molasses tank burst and a wave of
molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph (56 km/h),
killing 21 and injuring 150. The event has entered local folklore, and
residents claim that on a hot summer day, the area still smells of molasses.

February 6, 1979:
The (Roland Mill), located in Bremen, Germany, was destroyed by a flour
dust explosion, killing 14 and injuring 17.

September 3, 1991:
1991 Hamlet chicken processing plant fire in Hamlet, North Carolina,
where locked doors trapped workers in a burning processing plant, causing
25 deaths.

September 3, 1998:
1998 Haysville KN grain elevator explosion in Haysville, Kansas. A series
of dust explosions in a large grain storage facility resulted in the deaths of
seven people.

February 7, 2008:
The 2008 Georgia sugar refinery explosion in Port Wentworth, Georgia,
United States. Thirteen people were killed and 42 injured when a dust
explosion occurred at a sugar refinery owned by Imperial Sugar.

March 12, 2008:

Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada. A roof collapse in the Gourmet du
Village bakery warehouse killed three workers.

31
 Manufacturing industry

January 10, 1860:

Pemberton Mill was a large factory in Lawrence, Massachusetts that
collapsed without warning. An estimated 145 workers were killed and 166
injured.

March 20, 1905:

Grover Shoe Factory disaster. A boiler explosion, building collapse and
fire killed 58 people and injured 150 in Brockton, Massachusetts.

March 25, 1911:

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. This was a major
industrial disaster in the US, causing the death of more than 100 garment
workers who either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths. The fire led
to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur
the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, which
fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers in that
industry.

May 27, 1983:

Benton fireworks disaster. An explosion at an illegal fireworks operation
on a farm near Benton, Tennessee killed eleven, injured one, and inflicted
damage within a radius of several miles.

November 23, 1984

MESIT factory collapse. A part of a factory in Uhersk Hradit,
Czechoslovakia collapsed, killing 18 workers and injuring 43. The accident
was kept secret by the communist regime, however, the news broke the
iron curtain and made it to the western media.

May 4, 1988:
PEPCON disaster, Henderson, Nevada. A massive fire and explosions at a
chemical plant killed two people and injured over 300.

32
May 10, 1993:
Kader Toy Factory fire. A fire started in a poorly built factory in Thailand.
Exit doors were locked and the stairwell collapsed. 188 workers were
killed, mostly young women.

May 13, 2000:

Enschede fireworks disaster. A fire and explosion at a fireworks depot in
Enschede, Netherlands resulted in 22 deaths and another 947 were injured.
About 1,500 homes were damaged or destroyed. The damage was
estimated to be over US$300 million in insured losses.

November 3, 2004:
Seest fireworks disaster. N. P. Johnsens Fyrvrkerifabrik fireworks
factory exploded in Seest, a suburb of Kolding, Denmark. One firefighter
died; seven from the rescue team as well as 17 locals were injured. In total
2,107 buildings were damaged by the explosion, with the cost of the
damage estimated at 100 million.

April 18, 2007:

Qinghe Special Steel Corporation disaster. A ladle holding molten steel
separated from the overhead iron rail, fell, tipped, and killed 32 workers,
injuring another 6.

February 1, 2008:
Istanbul fireworks explosion. An unlicensed fireworks factory exploded
accidentally, leaving by some reports at least 22 people dead and at least
100 injured.

September 11, 2012:

Karachi, Pakistan, 289 people died in a fire at the Ali Enterprises garment
factory, which made ready-to-wear clothing for Western export.

November 24, 2012:

Dhaka Tasreen Fashions fire. A seven-story factory fire outside of Dhaka,
the capital of Bangladesh, killed at least 112 people, 12 from jumping out
of windows to escape the blaze.
33
April 24, 2013:
2013 Savar building collapse. An eight-story factory building collapsed on
the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and killed 1129 people.
The building contained five garment factories that were manufacturing
clothing for the western market.

Mining industry

March 10, 1906:

Courrires mine disaster in Courrires, France. 1,099 people died,
including children, in the worst mine accident in Europe.

October 14, 1913:

Senghenydd Colliery Disaster, the worst mining accident in the United
Kingdom; 439 workers died.

April 26, 1942:

Benxihu Colliery disaster in Benxi, Liaoning, China. 1,549 workers died,
in the worst coal mine accident ever in the world.

May 28, 1965:

Dhanbad coal mine disaster took place in Jharkhand, India, killing over
300 miners.

October 21, 1966:

Aberfan disaster was a catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil-tip that
occurred in the Welsh village of Aberfan, killing 116 children and 28
adults.

34
July 19, 1985:
Val di Stava dam collapse took place in the village of Stava, near Tesero,
Italy, when two tailings dams, used for sedimenting the mud from the
nearby Prestavel mine, failed. It resulted in one of Italy's worst disasters,
killing 268 people, destroying 63 buildings and demolishing eight bridges.

May 9, 1993:
Nambija mine disaster, Nambija, Ecuador. Approximately 300 people
were killed in a landslide

January 30, 2000:

Baia Mare cyanide spill took place in Baia Mare, Romania. The accident,
called the worst environmental disaster in Europe since Chernobyl, was a
release of 100,000 tons of cyanide-contaminated water into the rivers
Some, Tisza and Danube by an Aurul mining company due to a reservoir
breach. Although no human fatalities were reported, the leak killed up to
80 percent of aquatic life in some of the affected rivers.

April 5, 2010:
Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, West Virginia, United States. An
explosion occurred in Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine.
Twenty-nine out of 31 miners at the site were killed.[18]

November 19, 2010:

Pike River Mine disaster in New Zealand. At 3:45 pm, the coal mine
exploded. Twenty-nine men underground died immediately, or shortly
afterwards, from the blast or from the toxic atmosphere. Two men in the
stone drift, some distance from the mine workings, managed to escape.
(Extract from Royal Commission of Enquiry Report on Pike River.)

May 13, 2014:

Soma mine disaster in Manisa Province, Turkey. An explosion occurred
two kilometers below the surface, starting a fire, which caused the mine's
elevator to stop working. This trapped several hundred miners, many of
whom died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 787 workers were present
during the disaster, and 301 of them died during the disaster.

35
August 4, 2014:
Mount Polley mine disaster near Likely, British Columbia.

Other industrial disasters

January 20, 1909:

Chicago Crib Disaster. During the construction of a water intake tunnel
for the city of Chicago, a fire broke out on a temporary water crib used to
access an intermediate point along the tunnel. The fire began in the
dynamite magazine and burned the wooden dormitory that housed the
tunnel workers. 46 workers survived the fire by jumping into the lake and
climbing onto ice floes or the spoil heap near the crib. 29 men were burned
beyond recognition, and approximately 60 men died. Most of the
remainder drowned or froze to death in the lake and were not recovered.

September 21, 1921:

Oppau explosion in Germany. Occurred when a tower silo storing 4,500
tonnes of a mixture of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate fertilizer
exploded at a BASF plant in Oppau, now part of Ludwigshafen, Germany,
killing 500600 people and injuring about 2,000 more.

1927 - 1932:
Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster, near Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, United
States. Over several years, 476 workers died from silicosis.

1932-1968:
The Minamata disaster was caused by the dumping of mercury compounds
in Minamata Bay, Japan. The Chisso Corporation, a fertilizer and later
petrochemical company, was found responsible for polluting the bay for 37
years. It is estimated that over 3,000 people suffered various deformities,
severe mercury poisoning symptoms or death from what became known as
Minamata disease.

36
April 16, 1947:
Texas City disaster, Texas. At 9:15 am an explosion occurred aboard a
docked ship named the Grandcamp. The explosion, and subsequent fires
and explosions, is referred to as the worst industrial disaster in America. A
minimum of 578 people lost their lives and another 3,500 were injured as
the blast shattered windows from as far away as 25 mi (40 km). Large steel
pieces were thrown more than a mile from the dock. The origin of the
explosion was fire in the cargo on board the ship. Detonation of 3,200 tons
of ammonium nitrate fertilizer aboard the Grandcamp led to further
explosions and fires. The fertilizer shipment was to aid the struggling
farmers of Europe recovering from World War II.

1948:
A chemical tank wagon explosion within the BASF's Ludwigshafen,
Germany site caused 207 fatalities.

February 3, 1971:
The Thiokol-Woodbine Explosion at a Thiokol chemical plant in Georgia
killed 29 people and seriously injured 50.

June 1, 1974:
Flixborough disaster, England. An explosion at a chemical plant near the
village of Flixborough killed 28 people and seriously injured another 36.

July 10, 1976:

Seveso disaster, in Seveso, Italy, in a small chemical manufacturing plant
of ICMESA. Due to the release of dioxins into the atmosphere and
throughout a large section of the Lombard Plain, 3,000 pets and farm
animals died and, later, 70,000 animals were slaughtered to prevent dioxins
from entering the food chain. In addition, 193 people in the affected areas
suffered from chloracne and other symptoms. The disaster lead to the
Seveso Directive, which was issued by the European Community and
imposed much harsher industrial regulations.

April 27, 1978:

Willow Island disaster. A cooling tower for a power plant under
construction in Willow Island, West Virginia collapsed, killing 51
construction workers. The cause was attributed to placing loads on recently

37
poured concrete before it had cured sufficiently to withstand the loads. It is
thought to be the largest construction accident in United States history.

December 3, 1984:
The Bhopal disaster in India is one of the largest industrial disasters on
record. A runaway reaction in a tank containing poisonous methyl
isocyanate caused the pressure relief system to vent large amounts to the
atmosphere at a Union Carbide India Limited plant. Estimates of the death
toll range from 4,000 to 20,000. The disaster caused the region's human
and animal populations severe health problems to the present.

November 1, 1986:
The Sandoz disaster in Schweizerhalle, Switzerland released tons of toxic
agrochemicals into the Rhine.

June 28, 1988:

Auburn, Indiana. Improper mixing of chemicals killed four workers at a
local metal-plating plant in the worst confined-space industrial accident in
U.S. history; a fifth victim died two days later.

October 23, 1989:

Phillips Disaster. An explosion and fire killed 23 and injured 314 in
Pasadena, Texas and registered 3.5 on the Richter scale.

July 5, 1990:
Arco Disaster. An explosion and fire occurred at the Arco Chemical
Company complex in Channelview, Texas. 17 people were killed. Five
were permanent employees of Arco Chemical Company and the remaining
12 were contract labor employees. An area approximately the size of a city
block was completely destroyed; no one in the area survived the explosion.

May 1, 1991:
Sterlington, Louisiana. An explosion at the IMC-operated Angus Chemical
nitro-paraffin plant in Sterlington, Louisiana killed eight workers and
injured 120 other people. There was severe damage to the surrounding
community. The blasts were heard more than eight miles away.

38
September 21, 2001:
Toulouse, France. An explosion at the AZF fertilizer factory killed 29,
injured 2,500, and caused extensive structural damage to nearby
neighbourhoods.

October 19, 2009:

Ottawa, Canada. A boiler explosion at the Cliff Central Heating and
Cooling Plant killed one person, and three others suffered injuries.

October 4, 2010:
Alumina plant accident. Ajka, Kolontr, Devecser and several other
settlements, Hungary. The dam of Magyar Aluminium Zrt.'s red mud
reservoir broke and the escaping highly toxic and alkaline (~pH 13) sludge
flooded several settlements. There were nine victims, including a young
girl and hundreds of injuries (mostly chemical burns).

January 20, 2012:

Burns Lake, British Columbia, Canada. At a wood mill two workers were
killed and 20 others injured in a fire and explosion. A combustible dust
environment led to the explosion and fire.

November 8, 2012:
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Two people died and 19 were injured in an
industrial processing plant belonging to Neptune Technologies &
Bioressources, a manufacturer of health care products.

April 17, 2013:

Fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. An explosion occurred at the
West Fertilizer Company storage and distribution facility in West, Texas,
18 miles (29 km) north of Waco, while emergency services personnel were
responding to a fire at the facility. At least 14 people were killed, more
than 160 were injured and more than 150 buildings damaged or destroyed.

June 20, 2013:

Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, Canada. Two women were killed in a fireworks
warehouse explosion.
39
Seveso (Italy 1976, reaction runaway)
During a recent visit to northern Italy I got lost, only slightly, but ended up
passing close to Seveso, a town etched in the memory of many in the
chemical industry and, arguably, one of the main reasons behind the
pressure today from environmental groups and regulatory bodies.
For our younger readers, Seveso is where, back in 1976, a major fire at a
plant which resulted in massive contamination of the surrounding district
with dioxin.
Although there were no direct casualties, over 600 people were evacuated
from their homes and more than 2000 were treated for possible dioxin
poisoning.

40
Bhopal (India 1984, chemical release 2,000 to 14,400 killed)
On December 3 1984, more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked
from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, immediately killing at least 3,800
people and causing significant morbidity and premature death for many
thousands more. The company involved in what became the worst
industrial accident in history immediately tried to dissociate itself from
legal responsibility. Eventually it reached a settlement with the Indian
Government through mediation of that country's Supreme Court and
accepted moral responsibility. It paid $470 million in compensation, a
relatively small amount of based on significant underestimations of the
long-term health consequences of exposure and the number of people
exposed. The disaster indicated a need for enforceable international
standards for environmental safety, preventative strategies to avoid similar
accidents and industrial disaster preparedness.
Since the disaster, India has experienced rapid industrialization. While
some positive changes in government policy and behavior of a few
industries have taken place, major threats to the environment from rapid
and poorly regulated industrial growth remain. Widespread environmental
degradation with significant adverse human health consequences continues
to occur throughout India.

41
Piper Alpha (North Sea 1988, Hydrocarbon gas ignition, 167
killed)
The Piper Alpha platform was destroyed in 1988 by a series of explosions.
The North Sea oil rig accident cost more lives than any other offshore
disaster.
The Piper Alpha oil rig disaster, which occurred in 1988, remains the worst
ever oil rig accident. Of the 226 mean on board the platform at the time
only 61 survived. Two crewmen on a rescue boat also perished and 30
bodies were never recovered.

42
Bharuch- GNFC
BHARUCH: Four persons were killed and several injured in a major blast that
took place in the nitro-phosphorus plant of the Gujarat Narmada Valley
Fertilizers Company Ltd (GNFC) here on Tuesday night.

Some portions of the plant collapsed due to the impact of the explosion and four
persons who were buried under it are reported to have succumbed. Two persons
are said to be still trapped in the debris according to reports received well past
midnight.

Eyewitness account said that the fire was brought under control after midnight
even as fire tenders were rushed from Vadodara and Ahmedabad. The factory
has been completely sealed off even as huge crowds gathered around and at the
GNFC hospital where some of the injured were rushed for treatment.

Five injured persons were sent to the SSG Hospital in Vadodara. According to
Devendra Sinh Solanki, past president of Bharatiya Janata Party in Bharuch,
who was allowed inside the factory premises, the main control room has totally
collapsed apart from certain other sections.

He informed that there were five officials, 28 other employees and 19 casual
labourers in the factory at the time of the blast. Meanwhile, state home secretary
K Nityanandam confirmed the death of four persons in the blast and the
subsequent collapsing of some sections of the plant.

State chief secretary PK Laheri told TNN that the plant has been shut down to
allow rescue operations in the plant. He said it has to be carried out with
extreme precaution in view of the presence of highly toxic materials in the
factory.

The incident took place at about 9.05 p.m and shook almost the entire city. The
explosion could be heard several kilometres away from the plant. The impact of
the blast was such that walls in some houses of the nearby Vadadala village
developed cracks.

Major panic spread in the area with people initially fearing that the city had
been hit by an earthquake.
Local residents were scared due to the explosion and rushed out of their houses.
The explosion could be heard as far as Ankleshwar and Dahej. The blast was so
strong that windowpanes rattled due to its impact. "The initial fears of an
earthquake, however, vanished on hearing of the blast in GNFC," said K B
Dave, a local resident.

43
The district collector, superintendent of police, senior GNFC officials and other
personnel concerned rushed to the spot in wake of the blast. District collector
Rajiv Topno said, "The fire-fighters are already in action. There is likelihood of
more casualties but can't be determined as of now. We are trying to take the
head count only then can we give a true picture of the casualties."

DSP Amarsinh Vasava said "We are at the spot and will take some time in
ascertaining the extent of the damage." Bharuch nagarpalika president
Navinchandra Vanza said that municipal fire brigade was not called for dealing
with the situation. "The GNFC is managing the situation with their own fire
personnel," he said.Ambulances of the nagarpalika were pressed into service to
take the injured to hospitals.

In September last year, a major blast in another state-owned PSU, Gujarat

Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) in Vadodara, had left seven people
killed.

The GNFC, Bharuch. is a joint sector company, promoted by the Government

of Gujarat and Gujarat State Fertilizers Company Limited.. GNFC has the
world's largest single stream ammoniaurea fertiliser complex.

44
 MAJOR CHEMICAL DISASTERS IN INDIA
Number of
Origin of accident Year Date Location Products involved
Death Evacuat
Injured
s ed

New
Explosion (warehouse) 1992 29.04 Chemicals 43 20
Delhi

New
Fire at a chemical store 1994 13.11 Toxiccloud (chemicals) 500
Delhi

Leakage 1984 03.12 Bhopal* Methyl isocyanate 2800 50 000 200 000

Britannia
Leakage 1989 05.05 Chlorine - 200 ..
Chowk

Leakage 1989 17.01 Bhatinda Ammonia - 500 ..

Leakage 1987 24.06 Bhopal Ammonia 200 000

leakage (transport
1997 21.01 Bhopal Ammonia 400
accident)

Leakage from a pipeline 1991 00.12 Calcutta Chlorine. 200

Leakage in an Ice
1990 00.07 Lucknow Ammonia gas 200
Factory

Release 1985 14.05 Cochin Hexacyclo-pentadiene - 200 ..

Thane
Transport accident 1994 00.01 Chlorine gas 4 298
District

New
Transport accident 1991 00.01 Ammonia gas 1 150
Bombay

Maharas
Transport accident 1995 00.12 Ammonia gas 2 000
htra

1985 India Chlorine 1 150 -

45
CONCLUSIONS

We learn best through our own experiences in different phases of our life.
Mistakes could be catastrophic in a chemical plant, but it is a great
opportunity to learn and design a safer plant in the future.

We must learn from previous incidents and develop new procedures,

practices and management systems.

These incidents have much learning which reveal many hidden facts about
safety and provide efficient tools for prevention of similar incidents in the
future.

46