On directions from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), the district administration on Wednesday sealed processing machinery of the KPR Mills at SIPCOT Industrial Estate at Perundurai where seven workers died after inhaling methane while fixing a faulty valve in its effluent treatment plant on Tuesday.
Late on Tuesday night, power supply to the industry was disconnected by the Tangedco. Only the equipment, and not the premises, would be kept sealed until further orders, Revenue Divisional Officer and Sub-Divisional Magistrate V. Gunasekaran, who led the sealing operations, said. From September to November last year, all the industries, including this unit, had complied with the order of the TNPCB to clean up the sludge in the effluent treatment plant to ensure that there was no seepage of pollutants into the ground.
Official sources said all textile units in the SIPCOT complex had also been oriented on the precautionary measures to be taken for safety of workers last November.
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Meanwhile, management sources said the company would pay a compensation of Rs.13 lakh to the families of each of the deceased.
The death of the workers has turned the focus on training in textile units.
Officials said Tuesday’s tragedy should make the industries realise the importance of periodic safety training, especially in the case of hazardous works that had to be done under the supervision of safety officers. There were cases of electrical accidents. But, this was the first instance of such an incident in a textile processing unit in this area.
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The unit seemed to have had all the systems in place and this was unfortunate.
Additional focus on safety was required in activities that involved handling of chemicals. Further, panic reaction should be avoided when there was an accident, said a representative of textile mills.
Safety is the priority in textile units and the Southern India Mills’ Association has been conducting safety-related training at the units for almost two decades now.