Lack of adherence to safety norms and safe practices in the industrial units of all natures has been the key reason behind industrial accidents in Anantapur and Kurnool districts for the past four years and many of them go either unreported or come to light very late.
In the undivided Anantapur District there were four fatal accidents in 2019, said D. Radha Krishna, the Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, and the fatalities rose to 6 each in 2020 and 2021. In the six months of the current year, the fatalities registered are three. The Factories Department is organising Awareness programmes on Hazards and Risk Mitigation in all districts with Kurnool and Anantapur officials holding them on Thursday and Friday. “Continuous monitoring and creation of awareness among working force and persons in the management/owners was the key to reducing the number of accidents,” opined Mr. Radha Krishna. Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories of Kurnool Narayana Reddy said the awareness programme has been very fruitful.
Arjas Steel factory at Jambulapadu near Tadipatri is one of the exemplary industrial units that take care of safety norms, said its Managing Director Sridhar Krishnamoorthy. “Safety First” is a key value for Arjas Steel. In steel manufacturing, we have many hazards and risks, hence employees are required to adopt and adhere to all safety measures put in place,” he explained. “We have personal protection equipment as required for the specific work being done,”.
In its earlier incarnation as Gerdau Steel, six persons had died due to a gas leak on July 13, 2018, and one contract employee died in 2018 after falling on a forklift. “To ensure good safety discipline, Arjas Steel continually ensures that safety is a priority, is everyone’s responsibility, and will need to be continually addressed in all activities. We also involve the families of employees in raising safety awareness,” said Mr. Krishnamoorthy.
There have been accidents in chemical factories (Marahi Pharma), cement plants (Ultratech), and small Steel plants at Hindupur in 2021. During the current year, there were accidents in Apple Industries and SLV Steels in Vidapanakal and D. Hirehal Mandals, while one death in KIA Motors, according to the Factories Department. The KIA Motors had been saying that it was a natural death.
In the undivided Kurnool district, a senior fitter of SPY Agro Industries Limited at Nandyal died in a hot water boiler pipeline blast at its Extra Neutral Alcohol plant on August 7, 2020, while one person died on the spot, and four others were affected due to an ammonia gas leak from a pipeline at SPY Agro Industries Limited also at Nandyal on June 27, 2020. Fire tenders controlled the gas leak after struggling for three hours.
