PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, May 7: Two contractual workers and an employee were hurt after a blast at Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur plant here on Saturday morning.
The blast took place at around 10.20 am, in the foul gas line at Battery -6 of the Coke Plant at Jamshedpur works.
Soon after the blast, the plant operation came to a grinding halt and the dismantling process began. The ambulance and fire tenders immediately reached the blast site and the area was cordoned off.
“The situation has been brought to control,” said an official note issued by the company.
The note further stated that two of the contract employees sustained minor injuries, and were sent to Tata Main Hospital for treatment.
Another employee who complained of chest pain was also sent to TMH for observation. Their condition was stated to be stable.
“The incident has been reported to the relevant authorities and investigation to assess the cause is underway, ” said a spokesperson adding that as a responsible corporate, Tata Steel is committed to safe operations and the safety and wellbeing of all its stakeholders.
Company sources said there was a spattering of fire in the vicinity of the blast which was immediately controlled as per established fire control and safety procedures.
In a similar blast in January last year, a fireman and a contractual worker sustained burn injuries during slag pooling operations at the company’s hot metal pooling pit near the Slag Road gate in Sakchi.
Necessary first aid was administered to both of them and they got back to work.
In another unfortunate incident that took place in September 2020 within the works, a senior manager (operations) Sheeraz Zama Khan, posted at the cold rolling mill (CRM), died. The senior manager was trapped in the galvanising line, probably while attending to a fault.
