Human error in IOC depot fire
New Delhi, Feb. 2: Human error and insufficient safety mechanisms have been blamed for the disastrous fire at an Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) depot in Jaipur last year. Eleven people were killed in the fire that burned for several days. A panel headed by Mr M.B. Lal, former chairman of Hindustan Petroleum, had been appointed to investigate the incident. The committee came out with its findings on Tuesday.
The fire, according to the committee, started from a petrol tank which was pumping fuel to a nearby installation owned by Bharat Petroleum (BPCL). The first lapse was that instead of the two operators who should have been present, only one was overseeing the operation.
During the operation, the operator threw open a valve that led to a large leak of petrol. The operator passed out on inhaling the fumes from the leaking petrol. Meanwhile, the other operator, who was allegedly in the canteen at that time, rushed back but also passed out on inhaling petrol fumes. The shift officer on duty somehow managed to escape, the committee noted.
There was one other system that could have stopped the leakage at this stage — a safety system that could disable the valve from a remote location. However, this too had been defunct since 2003. The panel also found fault with other safety measures such as the lighting at the site and absence of proper gas masks/fire suits.
The IOC chairman couldn’t be reached for comments. A company official said that the report is yet to reach them. The fire, which burned for 11 days, consumed about 60,000 kilolitres of fuel. The fire couldn’t be put out once it gathered force — it was extinguished after the fuel supply ran out.
AGE CORRESPONDENT
Post new comment