Visakhapatnam: A long-term plan soon to avert industrial mishaps

Visakhapatnam: In a move to prevent industrial accidents in Visakhapatnam, the district administration is coming up with an effective action plan.

In connection with this, the district authorities intend to implement an offsite emergency plan diligently.

As a part of the plan, a Mumbai-based company has taken up a project and will study the industries, their capabilities, risk management initiatives and security aspects, among other details.

Notwithstanding the assurances made by the authorities concerned, industrial accidents continue to register in Visakhapatnam. To place a check on its recurrence, the district administration is focussing on a long-term action plan.

The recent accident adding to the list was the toxic gas leak at Ramky Pharma City, claiming the lives of two youngsters P Manikanta (22) and A Durga Prasad (21).

Industrial accidents are not new to the port city. But every time an accident takes place, a committee would be formed followed by the submission of a report. In most cases, management's negligence, lacunae in maintaining safety protocols and human negligence contributed largely to the industrial mishaps.

Even after the major gas leak incident happened at LG Polymers on May 7, 2020, claiming 12 lives and hospitalising hundreds, industrial accidents continue to recur.

In order to place a check on it and ensure implementation of the offsite emergency plan, District Collector A Mallikarjuna told The Hans India that strict monitoring would be done to ensure industrial safety. "A checklist is getting readied and it will be given to all the industry managements in the district. However, the focus is more on the hazardous ones and make sure they are in compliance with the safety standards. Also, based on the measures in place, action will be taken and reviewed once in every three months," shares the District Collector.

Apart from checking the lapses in maintaining safety protocols, the Mumbai-based company will give a list of precautionary measures to be followed by the industries, mock drills to be conducted at regular intervals, awareness campaigns to be taken up and other exercises which will have a long term impact on the prevention of accidents.

The company also designs a schedule and shares it with each company and guides on the need to follow safety measures in order to bring down industrial accidents.

With the action plan in place, there is a large scope for bringing down the industrial accidents and human loss resulting from it.