Six workers were killed and 17 injured after a boiler exploded in Unit V of the thermal power station-II of the NLC India Ltd. (NLCIL) in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu.
This is the second accident at the power station in less than 2 months; it calls for lo0king into the overall safety protocols.
What happened?
The power station has seven units of 210 MW each, totalling 1,470 MW.
On 7 May 2020, a boiler explosion occurred in Unit VI.
This killed five persons, including two permanent staff members.
In the recent incident (July 1, 2020), Unit V was shut down after it got tripped the previous night.
The workers and engineering staff were attempting to revive it.
It was then that a fire broke out in the boiler, resulting in the explosion.
Six people were killed and a dozen workers suffered severe burns.
Power generation in the unit was stalled after the accident.
All other units in the station and other thermal power plants worked as usual.
What are the other such incidents elsewhere?
A day before the boiler blast, 2 persons died and 4 were taken ill after a gas leak at Vizag pharma company.
Those affected inhaled benzimidazole vapours.
It happened at the Sainor Life Sciences Private Limited at JN Pharma City in Parawada, a suburb of Visakhapatnam.
The boiler blast is inexplicable, as the power producer had encountered a boiler explosion only on May 7, 2020.
Following that, NLC had ordered a review of its infrastructure and processes.
Without meticulous care, boilers are dangerous pieces of equipment.
High-pressure and superheated steam make for a lethal combination at the event of an explosion.
Keeping the release mechanism in good order is absolutely crucial.
Also, occupational safety demands that boilers are operated by trained personnel.
But some of those on the ground have been described as contract employees.
What is the larger concern?
Given the safety threat, boilers are regulated strictly under the Indian Boilers Act, at least on paper.
The terrible consequences of lax boiler safety were evident 3 years ago in Rae Bareli.
Back then, a blast at an NTPC power plant killed a few dozen people.
But States have clearly not internalised a culture of zero tolerance to boiler accidents.
In the Neyveli incident, it is said that the boiler was not in operation as it had tripped.
Notably, the major operations of this equipment involve a furnace and production of steam.
So, what led to an unexpected blowout should be inquired into.
The gas leak at Vizag pharma company raises questions on maintenance and operational procedures.
How vapours of a stable but acutely toxic chemical escaped should be looked into.
It should be ensured that there is an upgrade to safety protocols.
What is the way forward?
The response of the Centre and States to industrial accidents is usually to stop public outrage by announcing compensation for victims.
A transparent inquiry that leads to a fixing of responsibility and reform is often a low priority.
This culture of diverting from the real problem must change.
NLC India is a key power producer.
It rightfully has an obligation to present a transparent report on why its facilities are beset by mishaps.
There should be an independent probe in this regard.
It should determine whether cost calculations guided staffing decisions (contract workers) in such a hazardous sector.
Such accidents are mostly preventable, and occur rarely in the industrialised world given the attention to safety.
India’s aspirations to industrialise should essentially be founded on safety.
Source: The Hindu
Quick Fact
NLC India Limited (NLCIL)
NLCIL was formerly the Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited.
It is a 'Navratna' company of the Government of India in the fossil fuel mining sector in India and thermal power generation.
It annually produces about 30 million tonne lignite from opencast mines at Neyveli in the state of Tamil Nadu and at Barsingsar in Bikaner district of Rajasthan state.
The lignite is used at pithead thermal power stations to produce electricity.
Lately, it has diversified into renewable energy production.
It has installed 1404 MW solar power plant to produce electricity from photovoltaic (PV) cells and 51 MW electricity from windmills.
It was incorporated in 1956, and it is under the administrative control of Ministry of Coal.
