KAKINADA: Two workers were killed and two others sustained injuries after an iron girder fell on them at Parry Sugars Refinery India Private Limited in Kakinada rural mandal on Monday.
This is the second fatal accident reported at the unit in 10 days. The deceased have been identified as Ragam Prasad (35) from Gollaprolu, and Peruri Subrahmanyeswra Rao (30) from K Gangavaram.
District Collector Kritika Shukla visited the refinery and explained that the iron girder fell due to vacuum overload in the control panel followed by compressor vibrations.
The piece of equipment collapsed on Prasad and Rao, and they died instantly as their spine and head were severely injured. The workers at the unit complained that although the incident occurred at 12:21 pm, the management responded only at 2:30 pm. Police rushed to the scene on receiving the information.
Collector orders closure of unit
The collector ordered the temporary closure of the unit. “A safety audit is underway. We have asked the unit to shut down till a high-power panel completes its enquiry and submits a report,” Shukla said, adding that the warehouse of the factory was closed following the death of two workers 10 days ago.
The report of the August 19 accident has been submitted. The company management was directed to pay compensation to the bereaved families at the earliest. Tension prevailed at the factory for some time on Monday, with the workers’ families staging a protest and demanding justice. They accused the factory management of negligence.