‘LG Polymers didn’t follow orders for 3 years’

The committee pointed out that during an inspection on December 18, 2019, the Director of Factories issued 34 orders, with some containing more than one observation.
LG Polymers India firm in Visakhapatnam.  (Photo | PTI)
LG Polymers India firm in Visakhapatnam. (Photo | PTI)

VISAKHAPATNAM: For more than three years, LG Polymers didn’t comply with 16 inspection orders issued in 2016, the high-power committee (HPC) that probed the gas leak from the firm’s plant in Vizag has said. Besides, the fate of 18 fresh orders issued during an inspection in 2019 is not known, it added. The gas leak in May this year left 15 people dead and hundreds hospitalised.

While LG Polymers exposed its poor safety standards by not implementing the 2016 orders of the Factories Department till 2019, the Directorate of Factories failed by not ensuring that the firm followed the safety protocol, the HPC observed. The Directorate of Factories, it said, was not effective in implementing the Factories Act and other rules.

The committee pointed out that during an inspection on December 18, 2019, the Director of Factories issued 34 orders, with some containing more than one observation.

It also said the institutional structure of factory safety compliance in the Factories Department is very weak, and there are significant regulatory gaps in plan approvals, issue of licenses, safety audits and compliance. Structural changes are needed in the way safety protocols and regulations are implemented, the high-power committee asserted.

Despite being informed multiple times, the Factories Department did not form a Local Crisis Group under the Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996, the HPC said, adding that the state government must take immediate action to form Local Crisis Groups for all industries covered under MSIHC Rules, 1989, and hold regular mock drills.

The committee further said the Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives, Visakhapatnam reported that they have only four officers for the entire state, and there are nearly 14,000 registered Petroleum and

Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) units in Andhra Pradesh, apart from several thousands of mobile tankers. It also reported that it is the only organisation of its kind directly overseeing safety requirements for over 3 lakh hazardous units in India.

The committee noted that the organisation is clearly small and has a very limited capacity, and has become more of a licensing authority than a safety regulatory authority. It said the safety regulatory system needs a complete overhaul, as safety is of paramount importance. At present, safety does not seem to be given full importance, and is being treated more like a licensing provision, the HPC observed.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com