Multiple probes by several agencies have been launched to investigate the death of four contract workers from a gas leak at Steel Authority of India Limited’s Rourkela Steel Plant on January 6, government sources said on Wednesday, January 13.
The first investigation into the gas leak which killed four workers at SAIL’s Odisha-based steel mill was launched by the Directorate of Factories and Boilers (CFB) and the second by the local police authorities, the sources said.
SAIL has also appointed a four-member probe team led by Atanu Bhowmik, executive director at its Bokaro Steel Plant (BSP).
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accident resulted from negligence and non-compliance with standard safety operating procedures as indicated by the fact that the victims of the accident were all carrying gas masks but not wearing them, the sources said.
Another grey area in ensuring safety regulations was that the four workers killed were employed by contractors engaged by RSP and whether the latter’s responsibility to ensure standard procedure compliance covered contract workers, the sources added.