Telangana: Probe Panel’s Safety Recommendations Remain on Paper After a Year

Hyderabad: A committee of officials and experts constituted by the state government revealed that the explosion at SB Organics Ltd (SBOL), a bulk drug manufacturing plant in Chandapur, Sangareddy district, which killed six employees and injured 19 others in April 2024, was a direct result of significant safety lapses and regulatory failures.

Despite the committee submitting its findings over a year ago in July 2024, the safety reforms recommended by it remain unimplemented, raising serious concerns about the risk of future industrial disasters.

The tragic incident on April 3, 2024, occurred when a reactor at the facility — which manufactures guanidine nitrate, used in the pharmaceutical industry — exploded. The blast, which killed six workers instantly, was triggered by multiple system failures and human error.

According to the committee’s report, the incident was not an isolated event, but the inevitable consequence of flawed operations at the plant. “This incident could have happened any time earlier. Only probability delayed the occurrence,” the report stated, noting that the absence of a cooling system for the reactor after the reaction played a critical role.

The eight-member committee — comprising experts and officials from the factories department, Telangana State Pollution Control Board, and the Environment Protection Training & Research Institute — highlighted severe deficiencies in both the plant’s internal systems and the regulatory oversight mechanisms.

The report detailed how the SBOL team, during its appearance before the committee, lacked even a basic understanding of the reactor’s operation. Key staff, including the shift in-charge, were found to be unqualified, and there was no proper documentation on reactor design or process technology.

The investigation also exposed the inadequacy of safety measures at the plant, including the absence of an automatic cooling system, the reliance on manual operations without safety interlocks, and a general failure to conduct proper hazard analysis or risk assessments.

One of the most damning findings was the 21-minute gap between the release of toxic gases from the reactor and the final explosion — a window that could have been used to evacuate workers. However, in the absence of evacuation protocols, no such attempt was made, leading to avoidable fatalities.

The report sharply criticised SBOL’s management for its negligence and flagged deeper systemic failures within the regulatory framework that allowed such conditions to persist. Despite the committee's strong recommendations for reforms, including a complete overhaul of the regulatory apparatus, no meaningful action has followed.

Dr K. Babu Rao and Dr P.G. Rao, who prepared the report, stressed the urgent need for better oversight and suggested that process safety should be brought under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment or the Ministry of Labour.

Adding to the concerns, several officials, including those from the Department of Factories and the Telangana State Pollution Control Board, reportedly refused to sign the final report, suggesting political or bureaucratic resistance to its conclusions. Dr Babu Rao also expressed concerns over the lack of cooperation from the committee's convenor, an official from the factories department, further complicating an already contentious investigation.