Three people including an engineer were injured severely when an oxygen cylinder kept at the steel melting shop of Bhushan Steel Ltd (BSL) burst late Saturday night, raising questions over the safety parameters followed by the company as it is the second accident in last four days.
The accident occurred in the Kantabaniya factory of BSL in Dhenkanal district. All the injured have been shifted to Bhubaneswar for treatment.
In view of the outrage among workers over frequent accidents in the plant, the state government has asked for a report from the district administration.
Bhushan Steel plant has been hitting headlines since January 6 when the bursting of a gas cylinder at its labour colony claimed four lives and critically injured three workers. The mishap was followed by another incident on January 9 when three contract labourers were injured after an iron beam fell over them in the plant.
After that, the state government had issued a prohibitory order at the spot until the company formulates a safe work procedure and submit to the directorate of factories and boilers for implementation.
Many workers engaged in construction work are reported to have left the plant out of fear following the spate of accidents. Sources said, tension prevailed in and around the steel plant following the accident. Labour union leaders have threatened to lock the steel plant if it does not take concrete steps to ensure safety of the workers.
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“Accidents have been frequent in the steel plant but neither the government nor the company is taking any step. If such situation persists, we will have to lock the company,” said Lalit Kumar Mishra, joint secretary of the Bhushan company labour union.
The company officials could not be reached for comments.