Twelve workers were injured in an explosion that took place at the Coke Plant inside Tata Steel Jamshedpur works here on Monday morning. The explosion took place during maintenance job in the ammonia scrubber unit of the coke plant at around 10.30 am. Soon after the incident the Coke Plant was closed for necessary maintenance.
A company spokesperson said that 12 persons were injured due to the explosion, of whom 10 were contractors’ workers and the rest two were permanent employees of the company. "Soon after the incident the injured were rushed to the Tata Main Hospital where they are undergoing treatment," said Sinha adding that the plant has been isolated and an internal enquiry ordered to find out the cause of the incident.
Meanwhile, factory inspector ( Jamshedpur Circle- II ) , Birendra Singh Munda inspected the coke plant said that the mishap took place due to the explosion in the ammonia scrubber chamber during the maintenance process.
"Yes we came to know about the blast. We have started a probe and have also asked the company to provide us the names of the three private parties who had been entrusted with the maintenance work . The coke plant has taken a shutdown for two months. Today was the tenth day," said Munda. He said that they will ensure that the injured workers are given proper treatment.
An official of Tata Main Hospital said that the injured are being treated in various wards of the hospital. Majority of them will be discharged in the evening.
It may be recalled this was the second such incident of explosion inside the steel major during the last couple of years. In November 2013 about 11 employees including contractual workers had sustained serious injuries following an explosion in the lD#2 gas holder inside the works. later, during the course of treatment a 51-year-old employee who had sustained head injuries died.