With frequent accidents claiming lives of workers in cracker units, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation has embarked on an ambitious mission to sensitise workers to their common flaws that lead to accidents.
After having discussed with the owners of fireworks unit recently, the Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives, K. Sundaresan, has now charted brief programmes for workers of various units to remind them of the importance of safety norms.
“For the last four days, we have been talking to batches of 50 to 60 workers at our office about where they primarily go wrong,” Mr. Sundaresan said.
Stating that the fireworks units have no basic educational qualification and most of the workers were not aware of the properties of the chemicals they handle on a day-to-day basis.
“Each chemical has different properties and they behave differently under varied situations and weather conditions,” he said.
Wrong timingThe major cause of accident was identified as wrong timing of mixing of various chemicals in the units.
The ideal time for mixing is between 10.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. “It is in this period that the atmospheric temperature is between 30 and 35 degree Celsius. But, when it is done after 11 a.m. the temperature shoots beyond 35 degrees and the chemicals start reacting to it leading to accidents,” the officer said.
Recalling that many of the accidents in the recent times were while making ground chakkars, he said considering that Sivakasi fireworks units had been handling these product for nearly eight decades, such accidents should not occur at all.
Besides, the officials taking up sensitisation in Tamil, has got good reach among the workers, he said.
“I have been telling them that they should accord first priority to their own safety. It means a lot to their family members. Similarly, an accident-free environment can arrest the slump in the industrial growth,” he said.
The focus was given to those employees involved in mixing and filling of chemicals.
