Disaster has brought the Safety of Power Plants back into Focus

Feb 2021

Industrial accidents can happen at any time at any place without giving any time to react. From Bhilai Steel plant of SAIL to Vizag gas leak, industrial accidents that shook Nation. Notable among these mishappenings are the Vizag plant leak early in 2020, and the October 2018, Bhilai Steel plant of SAIL in Chhattisgarh.

In a tragic accident in the Phulpur-based Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) plant UP's Prayagraj on December 2020, ammonia gas leaked through a pipe, at least 2 persons have died and more than 12 are in critical condition The accident took place in a urea processing unit. An ammonia plunger broke which led to the leakage of ammonia gas. This is not the first time that such a leak has been reported at the same plant. Four employees had earlier been taken ill after a leak in 2019.

To establish a Preventive safety and health culture in the country

The purpose of Safety, Health and Environment at Workplace Policy is to establish a preventive safety and health culture in the country through elimination of the incidents of work related injuries, diseases, fatalities, disasters and to enhance the well being of employees in all the sectors of economic activity in the country. For a huge and diverse country like India there are various agencies responsible for the implementation and monitoring of HSE laws and regulations and the results are pretty decent.

Disaster has brought the Safety of Power Plants back into Focus

In a tragic accident in the Phulpur-based Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) plant UP's Prayagraj on December 2020, ammonia gas leaked through a pipe, at least 2 persons have died and more than 12 are in critical condition The accident took place in a urea processing unit. An ammonia plunger broke which led to the leakage of ammonia gas. This is not the first time that such a leak has been reported at the same plant. Four employees had earlier been taken ill after a leak in 2019.

Ammonia (NH3) is a compound that is widely used in the manufacture of various chemicals and fertilisers, and has a sharp odour. Exposure to large quantities of the gas causes a burning sensation in the eyes, nose and throat and prolonged exposure can lead to severe damage to the eyes and lungs, and can also be fatal. This disaster has brought the safety of power plants back into focus.

As per NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) website, on 1 November 2017, a boiler explosion occurred at Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station in Raebareli district, Uttar Pradesh, killed 29 people and injuring 100 others. After this incident, brought a lot of change in the management of NTPC, and the regulations issued subsequently were heeded by private sector companies as well. Ammonia leakage leads to asphyxiation. Notable among these mishappenings are the Vizag plant leak early in 2020, and the October 2018, Bhilai Steel plant of SAIL in Chhattisgarh, where 9 people died and 14 were injured. In 2017, cold storage of potatoes in Kanpur experienced a similar ammonia leakage. At least five persons died and many others are feared trapped inside a cold storage building, which collapsed near Kanpur on Wednesday after an explosion apparently due to high pressure in an ammonia gas "receiver". It appeared that the "Receiver" of ammonia gas in the cold storage exploded due to high pressure and it brought down the four-storey building. How seriously do we take industrial safety?

Different Acts for Minimizing Power Plant Disasters and increased Regulation

The infamous Bhopal Gas Strategy of 1984 was one such disaster, following which the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change came up with a set of regulations. These acts targeted minimizing power plant disasters and increased regulation while constructing power plants, use, and handling of hazardous chemicals to maintain safety protocol.

The first of these acts was Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989, (MSIHC) to drastically limit the major chemical accidents and limit the effect of chemicals on humans and wildlife in case a disaster does occur. Some specifics of this act would include, the onsite team of Major Accident Hazard (MAH) units is responsible for the preparation and execution of emergency plans. In addition, the Chief Inspector of Factories (CIF) in consultation with district personnel are required to prepare off-site emergency plans as well.

The second act with a similar agenda is Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996. As per this act, each state is required to set up a crisis management group and report on its working regularly to a designated authority.

While this law is effectively implemented it is serves as a post-disaster afterthought. We already have pre independence laws such as the Indian Boilers Act, 1923. The act was introduced with a view to provide safety of people, operating staff and the property from any mishap in the steam boilers.

It aimed to achieving a smooth and cohesive registration and inspection process during operation and maintenance of boilers. One would expect existing laws framed over a period of 100 years will enable plant safety and bring reassurance among workers. However, we are still in a worry-some situation concerning human and animal life, environmental repercussions, and property damage.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) website has published that, 130 significant industrial accidents have taken place recently in India. This resulted in killing 259 people and caused debilitating injuries to 560 people in around the plant area. Key reasons why unable to curb industrial disasters despite existing legislation and precautions.

There are some key reasons why we are unable to curb industrial disasters despite existing legislation and precautions.

Firstly, a gas leak takes place at significantly large pressure which is difficult to control. The plant is particularly vulnerable if the gas reservoir is large. Secondly, all companies may not have requisite clearance from Ministry of Environment.

They had failed to comply with provisions of environmental laws and internal safety procedures concerning oil field drilling. Hazardous Waste Rules, 1989 requires industry to identify major accident hazards, take preventive measures and submit a report to the designated authorities. Also, as per Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989 the purchaser must declare complete product safety information to the authority, and must transport the chemicals under the prescribed rules.

The gas leaks and plant mishaps has happened due to directly or indirectly violating these rules. As a consequence of this lackadaisical approach, there have mushroomed thousands of registered and hazardous factories in the unorganized sector.

They are dealing with multiple hazardous materials, exposing them to potential, and serious disasters.

However all is not lost

There is still time to back-track India, a growing economy and world's largest democracy, has population exceeding 1.2 billion. Out of this huge number, 63.6% form working age group. More than 90% work in the informal economy, mainly agriculture and services.

Less than 10% work in the organized sector; mainly industry, mining and some services. Country head leading company notes: “Bringing in specialist health and safety officers supervising installation, judiciously using safety equipment, complimented with fully operational plant safety features, along with continuous training of its staff are non-negotiable and continuous processes for the industry. Safety should be considered a legal compliance by companies.”

Safety has to be made a Priority among Companies

Thus, we must go back to mastering the basics of safety, and safety has to be made a priority among companies and the government. Every conceivable risk has to be investigated carefully and hazard potentials have to be reduced as much as reasonably possible.

By means of systematic safety discussions, safety audits are worked out both for new installations and for existing plants. The hazard potential can be reduced to a minimum by choosing low-risk process steps, chemicals and appropiate devices.

It is needed that all the laws are in place and executed well concerning gas and chemical plant safety.

Editor
HseTechZone